Israeli gov’t slams EU critics as Belgium, Spain, Ireland push anti-Israel measures amid Iran war

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

As Israel wages a high-stakes campaign to stop Iran — long identified by the US as the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism — from obtaining nuclear weapons, some of its harshest critics in Europe are intensifying their condemnation of the Jewish state.

On Thursday, Belgium and eight other EU member states — Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — urged the European Commission to examine how trade “linked to illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” can be aligned with international law, the latest effort by the countries to block trading with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

In a post on X, Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the decision came after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

“Upholding international law is a shared responsibility. In a rules-based international order, legal clarity must guide political choices,” Prevot said in a statement. “A united European approach can help ensure that our policies reflect our values.”

Foreign ministers of the nine European countries also sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calling for the bloc to come up with proposals on how to discontinue trade with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

The letter came ahead of a meeting in Brussels on Monday when EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the bloc’s relationship with Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran.

“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called on the EU to impose an arms embargo on Israel in a bid to end the ongoing war in Gaza — another attempt by one of Jerusalem’s fiercest critics to undermine its defensive campaign against Hamas following the Palestinian terrorist group’s invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In the wake of Hamas’s onslaught, Albares has intensified his push for anti-Israel measures on the international stage, while positioning himself as a staunch advocate for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The top Spanish diplomat also called for de-escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, urging both sides to refrain from further provocations and to pursue diplomatic channels to address Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Right now, we need to de-escalate this exchange of missiles and bombs between Israel and Iran, and ensure that everything related to Iran’s nuclear program is properly resolved and that Iran moves away from having nuclear weapons through diplomatic negotiations,” Albares said in a statement.

Separately, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris said he was “deeply concerned” by Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, warning of a “very real risk of regional spillover.”

The Irish leader said he believed a “negotiated solution” was needed to address Israeli concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.

Responding to the government’s comments, Israeli Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich said in an interview on “The Pat Kenny Show” that those who equate Iran’s actions with those of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza don’t “understand international law, the rules of war and what is going on.”

“They [the Islamic regime] are deliberately, indiscriminately targeting civilians, while we target their nuclear program, their ballistic program,” the Israeli diplomat said.

“I didn’t hear any Irish condemnation when Iran violated the UN Charter and called repeatedly for the destruction of another UN member state — Israel,” Erlich continued. “So, it’s not that a threat that has come up just now … It has been going on for decades.”

She also cautioned that Iran’s ballistic missile program could eventually be used against European nations, emphasizing that the threat posed by Tehran extends far beyond Israel and endangers global security.

“Europe is concerned about it [and] so should Ireland,” Erlich said.

Spain and Ireland have been among the world’s leading critics of Israel during the Gaza war.

Other European leaders have expressed more support, however, especially following Israel’s preemptive strikes last week targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday endorsed Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, saying the Jewish state was doing the “dirty work” for other countries.

“This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us,” Merz told the ZDF broadcaster during an interview on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada. “We are also affected by this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world.”

After conflict erupted between Iran and Israel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed support in a statement for “Israel’s right to defend itself and protect its people.”

According to Euronews, however, some EU officials opposed that choice of language.

“There was no consensus on saying Israel has a right to defend itself but Von der Leyen said it anyway,” one diplomatic source told the outlet.