Israel is facing an unprecedented diplomatic alienation across Europe, a region that has long been its largest trading partner and a key source of political and ideological support. Relations began to fray, especially after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in his latest term with Israel’s most right-wing coalition to date. Early tensions over judicial reforms and statements on West Bank annexation deepened into a full-blown crisis after the Gaza war in October 2023, the subsequent conflict in Lebanon and the US–Israeli war on Iran. Today, several European allies are suspending defence ties, imposing embargoes, freezing programmes such as Horizon Europe and engaging in unusually sharp public disputes.
Spain has emerged at the forefront of European opposition. Under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Madrid recognised the state of Palestine and has consistently criticised Israel’s military operations. Sánchez has accused Israel of violating international law and has urged the European Union to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel, arguing this would end what he calls “impunity for its criminal actions”. Spain has also imposed an arms embargo and taken the striking step of closing its airspace to US warplanes linked to the Iran conflict. In retaliation, Netanyahu removed Spanish representatives from the Civil-Military Coordination Centre in Kiryat Gat, a US-led facility overseeing humanitarian aid and ceasefire coordination in Gaza. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Spain of promoting “blood libels” and displaying an “obsessive anti-Israel bias”.
France has adopted a similarly hardening stance. Like Spain, it recognised Palestinian statehood, barred Israeli firms from major defence exhibitions, and denied overflight rights to US aircraft carrying munitions for Israel. Israel responded by completely stopping all sorts of defence procurement from France. The Israeli army also called off professional engagements with the French military, and is now looking for more amenable partners. Tensions have spilled into diplomacy as well, with Israel blocking French participation in mediation efforts with Lebanon, labelling Paris an “unfair mediator”. Although defence trade between the two countries had already been declining, the public rupture underscores the depth of the rift.
Even traditional right-wing allies are recalibrating. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently announced that Italy would not renew its long-standing defence agreement with Israel, first signed in 2005. The relationship deteriorated sharply after Israeli forces fired warning shots near a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned Israel’s actions as “unacceptable”, prompting a diplomatic protest from Jerusalem. Meloni’s shift also reflects domestic political pressures, as she seeks to distance her government from unpopular US and Israeli positions ahead of elections. The tensions even spilled into a public disagreement with Donald Trump, after he criticised Italy’s stance on the Iran conflict.
Strains have reached Germany, where support for Israel has long been anchored in the principle of Staatsräson, shaped by the legacy of the Holocaust. Relations came under severe pressure after a clash between Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. When Merz raised concerns about what he described as a “de facto annexation” of the West Bank, Smotrich responded with a historically charged rebuke, saying Germany would not dictate where Jews could live and adding, “You will not force us into ghettos again.” The remarks drew sharp criticism, including from Israel’s own ambassador in Berlin, who warned they distorted Holocaust memory and damaged ties with one of Israel’s closest European partners.
Compounding these tensions is the loss of Israel’s most reliable ally within the European Union: Hungary. Under former prime minister Viktor Orbán, Budapest frequently used its veto power to block or dilute EU criticism of Israel. Orbán even moved to withdraw Hungary from the International Criminal Court after arrest warrants were issued against Netanyahu, ensuring the Israeli leader could visit without risk. However, Orbán’s electoral defeat by Péter Magyar has created a new vulnerability. Magyar has indicated that his government will no longer offer automatic protection to Israel, signalling a more independent approach within EU decision-making.
The growing distance between Israel and key European powers—Spain, France, Italy and Germany—alongside the loss of Hungary’s diplomatic cover, marks a significant shift. It could turn out to be a headache for Israel as Europe is it’s biggest and also the primary market for its defence exports. While Israel continues to maintain pragmatic ties with some Eastern European countries, the broader political and intellectual alignment with Western Europe is eroding.
Gideon Saar has defended the government’s approach, insisting Israel seeks “respect, appreciation and safeguarding our vital interests”, rather than international approval. Yet the overall picture is one of deepening isolation.
