A major EU summit, a meeting of the full European Council, is scheduled for June 18-19 in Brussels. The European Council brings together the heads of state or government of the 27 EU member states.
According to the draft agenda and a report in the UK’s Daily Telegraph, EU leaders are expected, under the Middle East subject heading, to accuse Israel of a long list of misdemeanors and worse, and issue a series of rebukes and censures.
The Telegraph apparently gained access to “draft conclusions” to be discussed at the summit. They reveal an extensive list of charges that EU leaders intend to aim at Israel, starting with condemnation of the “persistent and devastating” humanitarian crisis in Gaza and proceeding to a declaration of support for Lebanon’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The bloc’s 27 prime ministers and presidents will apparently express “serious concern” about “continued ceasefire violations” in Lebanon, and call for a “permanent end” to hostilities. They will commit the EU to the welfare of the Lebanese people and their state-building efforts, and offer to provide emergency aid to the more than one million displaced by the conflict.
The possibility may also be raised of sending a mission of civilian and military experts, as well as financial support, to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
The EU seems unaware that the Lebanese government is as anxious to degrade Hezbollah’s military capabilities as Israel, which explains the recent Lebanon-Israel ceasefire negotiations.
Any intervention by the EU seems even less appropriate in light of the agreement reached on June 3 between Lebanon and Israel, when they moved from their previously announced truce toward an actual implementation framework for a ceasefire.
The ceasefire will come into effect, the agreement specifies, provided there is a “complete cessation” of fire by Hezbollah and the withdrawal of its operatives from the sector south of the Litani River. Once those conditions are met, Israel commits to halt its offensive operations.
The agreement envisages the LAF exercising sole security control in ”pilot zones” in southern Lebanon from which all non‑state actors, explicitly including Hezbollah, are to be excluded. Any sort of intervention by the EU would appear to run counter to that provision.
The details obtained by the Telegraph indicate that EU leaders are about to call on Israel to reopen border crossings to Gaza, allow in “unimpeded” humanitarian aid “at scale,” and permit the UN, its agencies and non-governmental organizations to work freely there. “Freely” presumably means not checking whether staff have Hamas connections.
They will further demand the immediate repeal of the new “discriminatory” death penalty law for terrorism introduced in March, because they fear it will be used exclusively against Palestinians.
EU draft conclusions on Israel spark controversy ahead of summit
EU chiefs will condemn Israel’s “mistreatment” of activist detainees following the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. They will, moreover, apparently call for EU sanctions to be prepared “against extremist ministers.”
This probably refers to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was widely criticized for posting a video of himself taunting the detained campaigners as they knelt with their hands tied behind their backs.
The EU will apparently tell Israel to stop the expansion of settlements, condemn “unlawful, unilateral actions,” and urge it to protect Palestinians from settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In a direct rebuke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the EU will also say it “firmly rejects Israel’s announcement that it will seize 70% of Gaza’s territory.”
In short, it looks as though those who regard Israel as the fount of all evil are about to have a field day.
The summit will be chaired by the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa. Both the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, will be present.
The EU-Israel relationship has been under significant strain ever since May 20, 2025, when the EU began conducting a review of whether Israel is complying with the human rights obligations contained in Article 2 of the long-standing EU-Israel Association Agreement.
The relationship is now characterized by three simultaneous trends: continued strategic and economic cooperation, growing criticism from many EU governments regarding Gaza and settlement policy, and increasing willingness to use sanctions and other restrictive measures against Israel.
For the past 16 years, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, consistently blocked EU measures directed against Israel. That veto disappeared following Hungary’s change of government in April.
As a result, EU foreign ministers agreed in May 2026 to impose sanctions on the more extremist Israeli settlers and related organizations, while simultaneously expanding sanctions against Hamas figures.
There is still no consensus among member states for the most far-reaching criticisms or anti-Israel measures. Countries generally favoring stronger pressure include Spain, Ireland, and Belgium, and also to varying degrees, France and some Nordic countries. These governments have been among the strongest advocates of sanctions, trade measures, or a review of the Association Agreement.
Countries generally favoring caution include Germany, Italy, and several central European governments. These states often support criticism of settlement violence and humanitarian concerns, while remaining cautious about broader economic or diplomatic penalties.
Realistically, the political mood across much of Europe is too far gone for the EU’s strong criticism of Israel, as predicted by the Telegraph, to be completely averted. But forewarned is forearmed. Back from her ambassadorial post in the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, the new head of hasbara (public diplomacy), now has the opportunity for a pre-emptive strike.
She and her team have the chance, ahead of a storm of adverse criticism, to explain that Israel is engaged in protecting itself and its people against forces intent on their destruction.
Iran has explicitly declared its purpose is to eliminate Israel and its population from the Middle East, and its proxies have demonstrated their willingness to carry through on that intention.
Hamas committed a genocide of its own on October 7, 2023; Hezbollah refuses to abide by the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire deal and continues to strike into northern Israel; the Houthis proudly wave a flag inscribed with “Death to Israel; a curse upon the Jews.”
The EU must be made to understand that Israel will not subscribe to its own annihilation.
The writer, a former senior civil servant, is the Middle East correspondent for Eurasia Review. Follow him at: www.a-mid-east-journal.blogspot.com