IntelBrief: How Does the European Union View the Israel-Hamas Conflict?

Bottom Line Up Front

• Over the last month and a half, the European Union (EU) has failed to speak with one voice regarding the Hamas-Israel conflict, an issue that has been especially noticeable in the trifurcated voting record of EU Member States in the United Nations General Assembly.
• EU Member States maintain different historical relations with the Israelis and Palestinians, which has translated into diverging proposed courses of action related to the conflict, while domestic politics have also significantly informed varying stances.
• Different European Union officials have broken with official protocol and strategy, potentially harming EU institutions and the idea of a unified European response to the conflict in Gaza.
• Brussels has struggled to ensure that common foreign policy positions endorsed by all Member States translate into national foreign policy; moreover, the Treaty on the EU stipulates national security is the sole responsibility of Member States, likely complicating how countries view the Hamas-Israel conflict.