EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen Laments Block's Divided Stance on Illegal Israeli Settlements

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on Wednesday that she deplored the ongoing inaction regarding the worsening conditions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Despite growing pressure, she stopped short of introducing a formal proposal to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

“The deep suffering in Gaza and unchecked settler violence in the West Bank have deeply affected Europeans,” Ms von der Leyen declared during her annual State of the Union speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

“The Israeli government’s decision to advance the illegal E1 settlement project is unacceptable. It is painful for many Europeans that member states have been unable to build the necessary majorities for a unified response.”

“Some member states have moved ahead. Others are considering doing so. When Europe is divided, it cannot change the course of events,” she added.

Approximately a dozen European Union nations support the measure, but strong opposition persists from Germany, Hungary, and Bulgaria, among others. Violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli settlers has seen a sharp surge.

Last September, Spain became the first EU country to ban trade with Israeli settlements, referencing an International Court of Justice advisory from July 2024 which declared that the Israeli occupation of land captured in the 1967 war is illegal. This encompasses the West Bank, where rising settler violence has even prompted rare criticism from elements of the Israeli leadership.

B’Tselem, a prominent Israeli rights group, stated this week that the country is executing “an elimination project” in the West Bank intended to dismantle Palestinian life and forcibly transform the territory into a permanently Jewish-Israeli region.

Last week, in a joint action with 11 western nations led by the UK, France announced it would institute a national ban on trade with Israeli settlements due to EU inaction.

For the 27 members of the EU to act collectively, the commission must first issue a proposal, which is then subject to adoption by a qualified majority. No formal threshold prevents the commission from issuing this proposal, yet it has not been submitted for consideration.

This situation has created a frustrating stalemate, according to Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign affairs and security policy chief. She recently likened illegal Israeli settlements to Russia's occupation of Crimea, a region of Ukraine where the EU halted trade immediately following the Russian military invasion in 2014. Ms Kallas has repeatedly asserted that the responsibility lies with the commission to issue a proposal to advance discussions.

“It's like Ursula von der Leyen deeply regrets the inaction she is causing,” Martin Konecny, director of the European Middle East Project think tank in Brussels, told The National.

“It's deeply misleading for her to blame member state divisions for lack of EU action on Israel-Palestine, when she herself has been the principal block on banning trade with illegal settlements.”

During her address, Ms von der Leyen recalled proposals she presented last year, emphasizing that EU nations have yet to enact them. Those proposals, which involved placing sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and partially suspending trade relations with Israel, were shelved following the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza last October. Unlike trade actions, sanctioning government ministers necessitates unanimity.

Additionally, Ms von der Leyen proposed that Canada become the initial associate member of the EU, establishing a novel alliance category aimed at strengthening partnerships. She extended the invitation during her speech in the French city on Wednesday, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney present in the audience.

“In this new world, we must urgently reimagine our partnerships and build global coalitions for our resilience and democracies,” she stated. “I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada being the first associate member of the European Union.”

Canada joined a 12-country initiative this month aimed at halting trade with Israeli settlements located in the West Bank, with the coalition expressing its intent to introduce national and/or support European restrictions concerning the trade of goods originating from settlements.