In the face of the European Union’s sanctions threat, Israel has launched an aggressive diplomatic counter-offensive with a clear and potent message: the EU’s actions empower Israel’s enemies. By accusing Brussels of “empowering a terrorist organization,” Israel is attempting to reframe the narrative and put the EU on the moral defensive.
This strategy, articulated in a letter from Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, is designed to be deeply uncomfortable for European leaders. It taps into post-9/11 anxieties about terrorism and challenges the EU’s self-perception as a force for peace and stability. The accusation aims to sow division among the EU’s 27 member states, some of whom are highly sensitive to being seen as soft on terror.
While the EU proposal does include sanctions against 10 Hamas leaders, Israel’s messaging deliberately ignores this to focus solely on the measures against itself. This creates a powerful, albeit simplified, narrative: in a conflict between a democratic state and a terror group, the EU has chosen to punish the democracy.
This counter-offensive is not just for international consumption; it also serves to rally the Israeli public behind the government. It portrays Israel as a nation standing righteous and alone against a misguided and hostile Europe, strengthening national resolve in a time of war.
The effectiveness of this strategy will be tested in the coming weeks. Israel is betting that it can make the political cost of sanctioning it too high for the EU to bear. It is a high-stakes public relations battle that will run parallel to the closed-door diplomatic negotiations in Brussels.
