Israel’s Ambassador to the European Union Haim Regev told Israeli journalists in Brussels on Thursday of a “diplomatic erosion” between Jerusalem and the EU, an Israeli source familiar with the discussions said, confirming earlier Hebrew media reports.
“There is no diplomatic tsunami, but there is certainly a diplomatic erosion that must be addressed,” Regev said during a closed briefing to journalists. Regev said the Foreign Ministry was “working” and “running a highly intensive diplomatic campaign,” but acknowledged fading sympathy among Europeans for Israel as its war against Hamas in Gaza drags on.
An Israeli source familiar with the discussion largely confirmed Regev’s comments to The Times of Israel, following reports on the matter in Hebrew media.
The EU said on Tuesday that it would review its Association Agreement with Israel, citing alleged human rights abuses in Gaza. Regev confirmed reports that diplomatic efforts by the Foreign Ministry had succeeded in stopping the bloc from suspending the pact, agreeing instead to reexamine it, after Jerusalem enlisted the support of 10 out of its 27 member states.
“I can say with a fairly high degree of certainty that there won’t be a consensus for a full cancellation of the agreement — not even for a partial one,” Regev said of the pact, according to Walla. The EU has called on Israel to halt its war in Gaza and demanded a lifting of restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
“Europe is seeing horrific images and struggling to deal with them. The support we had at the beginning of the war is no longer there,” said Regev, explaining that harrowing images from war-torn Gaza were influencing European public opinion and pressuring local decision-makers to take action, according to the Walla report.
While not alarmed about the fate of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Regev did warn that a French-Saudi initiative to recognize a Palestinian state during a United Nations conference in June poses a significant diplomatic challenge.
Regev also said that comments from extremists on both sides of the Israeli political spectrum have caused serious harm abroad, according to Kan news. The diplomat pointed to remarks by both Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — who has vowed to “totally destroy” Gaza — and The Democrats party head, Yair Golan, who claimed this week that the government is “killing babies as a hobby.”
According to Israel Hayom, Regev told the reporters that throughout the war, his embassy has repeatedly brought the plight of the hostages to the forefront and screened footage of the atrocities committed by Hamas during its deadly onslaught of October 7, 2023.
“We showed the horror film. We wore them out with the hostages,” but “this understanding has faded,” he reportedly said.
He noted that the IDF does not publish its own casualty data from Gaza, leading international bodies to rely on alternative sources like the Hamas-run health ministry, and emphasized that the renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza could improve diplomatic ties.
After an 11-week blockade on aid entering the Strip, Israel began allowing trucks of humanitarian assistance to enter the Strip on Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu citing international pressure as driving the move.
Israel has faced growing criticism from a number of European countries throughout its war against Hamas in Gaza, appearing to hit a peak this week with the EU decision to review its cooperation deal; 22 countries signing a joint call demanding “a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately”; and a sharp threat from France, the UK and Canada that they will take “concrete actions” if Israel does not end its “wholly disproportionate” actions in Gaza.
Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called Israel a “genocidal state,” while a day earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron called Israeli activity in Gaza “unacceptable” and “shameful.”