The EU and GAZA: division, relevance and inability to act

Abstract

This article analyses the European Union’s (EU) response to the Gaza war, with particular attention to the paradox of a Union that is relevant yet unable to translate its potential into effective influence. It starts from a central question: why the perception of this conflict as a critical juncture —something that in other instances has served as an integrative impulse— has not led to a more ambitious foreign policy. To address this question, the article examines three key dimensions: (1) the behaviour of the Member States in United Nations votes between October 2023 and June 2025; (2) the divergent positions regarding relations with Israel; and (3) the debate on the recognition of Palestinian statehood and cooperation with the Palestinian Authority. The analysis suggests that traditional divisions among Member States have been compounded by tensions both between and within EU institutions. Furthermore, it argues that the EU’s very relevance as an actor has led one of the parties —Israel— to seek to widen divisions among European partners, and it links these challenges to broader processes of fragmentation, both of the European integration project and of the international order.