Pro-Palestinian protests are shaking major European cities, and calls are growing to ban Israel from sporting and cultural events. European navies have been deployed to protect activists trying to get aid into Gaza, and a wave of countries have done the once-unthinkable and recognised a Palestinian state.
As outrage over the humanitarian catastrophe grows, more European leaders, sometimes driven by pressure from their populations, have openly condemned Israel’s war conduct and sought to push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to agree to a ceasefire and allow in aid.
There has been a ground-breaking shift in Europe where, somewhere over the last year, populations have been putting more pressure on their governments, which has helped break taboos at the top over criticism of Israel, said Sanam Vakil, director of the Chatham House think tank’s Middle East and North Africa program.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel’s closest EU allies, said last week that she ..
