Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff
Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff is the former EU ambassador to the Palestinian Territory.
Since Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and the devastating war in Gaza that’s followed, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and much of the Strip now lies in ruin.
EU leaders have issued countless calls to respect international law and pursue a two-state solution — but when it comes to action, the bloc has been largely absent. A “paper tiger” loud in rhetoric but toothless in practice, it wasn’t even invited to ceasefire or hostage negotiations.
And Europe’s failure to step up carries serious geopolitical costs.
The bloc’s marginalization on Gaza is partly self-inflicted, as it settled for being a payer of aid rather than a diplomatic player. It poured billions into assistance for Palestine and offered routine support for a two-state solution, while shying away from putting political pressure on Israel.
Meanwhile, Brussels gave Israel unfettered access to its market without seeking to leverage to push for the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestine and sustainable peace.
Simply put, aid and trade became Europe’s default instead of hard diplomacy — a far cry from the geopolitical role trumpeted in the Lisbon Treaty.
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