A new defence pact by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan promises to shield hundreds of millions of people from regional wars, but could just as easily drag their countries into a clash with Iran or Israel.
A group of leading scholars has questioned the legality of an EU Commission options paper on restricting imports from Israeli settlements, before EU foreign ministers revisit the issue in September.
Germany has betrayed its post-war moral and legal foundations by shielding Israel from accountability for alleged violations of international law, writes former EU envoy Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff.
Leaked legal opinions and internal files reveal how EU Commission negotiators bypassed member states, ignored red flags on human rights, and kept talking to Israeli officials long after being told a 2022 draft deal for the exchange of personal data between Europol and Israel broke EU and international law.
Despite a strict ban in Spain on products from the illegally-occupied territories, three Israeli agricultural giants are openly boasting about shipping dates and nuts to the country — often relying on local suppliers and major supermarket brands to quietly reach Spanish shelves.
Hitting EU targets for heat pumps, solar and wind could wipe out liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand equivalent to twice Qatar’s potential LNG supply, cutting households’ exposure.
Even the relevant EU commissioner, Dubravka Šuica, acknowledged the central obstacle: “To be open, the key problem is access to Gaza,” she said.
Crystal ball: EU will do nothing about Israel on MondayWadephul, Tajani, and other EU friends of Israel will say Lebanon peace talks and Israeli elections mean there should be no sanctions.
Will Ireland’s diplomatic charm fix budget wars and Gaza trade row in next six months?For the next six months, Dublin will try to play neutral on defence and Middle East policy while simultaneously pushing for a contentious EU budget deal that many in Brussels still think could easily collapse.
Israel has damaged at least €150m of European taxpayer-funded structures in Gaza and the West Bank, but not paid back one euro, according to an EUobserver investigation compiling data from the EU and third-party aid groups, amid Brussels’ wall of silence.
EU leaders have nudged the European Commission to draft legal texts to restrict imports from Israeli settlers, following three months of inertia, which diplomats said caused “frustration”.
There is overwhelming evidence of UAE support to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. But the EU is unwilling to jeopardise its close economic and security relations with Abu Dhabi – instead, the bloc continue to issue abysmally weak statements referring only to ‘external actors’ fuelling the war in Sudan.
Europe helped design the last Iran nuclear deal—yet this time, as ships, warplanes and diplomats converge around the Strait of Hormuz, the key decisions on sanctions, nukes and reparations may be taken in talks where the EU barely has a seat.
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich is now banned from entering France. These sanctions are largely symbolic, but they matter. Why aren’t other European Union countries sanctioning members of the Israeli government?
“We have moved on from the political deadlock … Violence and extremism carry consequences,” said EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas.
![[Interview] Palestine’s UN envoy pushes EU to show ‘tough love’ to Israel: ‘Business as usual is not working’](https://static.euobserver.com/2026/05/Conferencia_emergencia_Palestina-Joel_Gonzalez_08.jpg)
Palestinian UN envoy Mansour said Europe must abandon “business as usual” with Israel, urging real pressure to defend the two-state solution, in an interview with EUobserver.
The EU has relaunched contact with Syria after years of frozen relations.
But what does it mean for Syrians in Europe?
Italy is suspending its defence agreement with Israel. The reason? Concerns over Israel’s conduct in the Middle East conflict— especially in Lebanon.
A ceasefire deal between the US and Iran has plunged Lebanon into deadly confusion. As Israel continues strikes despite the announcement, Europe’s diplomatic calls for restraint face a grim reality: an escalating conflict beyond Lebanon’s control and Netanyahu’s government largely ignoring international pressure.
THIS WEEK: Hungarians go to the polls, while Middle East keeps Nato on the brinkThis week, Hungarians vote in an era-defining election as Viktor Orbán faces his biggest challenge in 16 years. Meanwhile, Nato chief Mark Rutte visits Washington to ease the rift with Donald Trump over the high-stakes blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.