Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sharply criticised European nations for their stance on Israel’s strategy in Gaza and their limited role in recent ceasefire discussions, accusing the continent of showing “weakness” and “irrelevance” in the Middle East peace process.
In an exclusive interview with Euronews aired on Sunday, Netanyahu said Europe had “basically caved in to Palestinian terrorism and radical Islamist minorities,” which he claimed explains the European Union’s absence from the latest ceasefire plan led by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Europe has essentially become irrelevant and displayed enormous weakness,” Netanyahu said. “President Trump took leadership and presented a realistic peace plan — one that eliminates the terrorist elements determined to continue the war and repeat the massacre of October 7.”
The Israeli leader condemned the decision by 15 of the 27 EU member states to formally recognise a Palestinian state, describing the move as “an ultimate reward for Hamas.” He argued that such recognition undermines peace efforts and sends the wrong message following the attacks of October 7, which Israel says were the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust.
“They basically said, ‘Let’s just give them a Palestinian state,’ which would be the ultimate reward for Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “Imagine that after 9/11, people would say, ‘Let’s give a state to Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda — one mile from New York.’ That’s what they’re suggesting.”
Netanyahu warned that creating a Palestinian state under current conditions would endanger Israel’s security. “First you have strength, then you have peace,” he said. “What these European leaders are suggesting would weaken Israel to the point where it’s fighting for survival against another Palestinian state right at the outskirts of Jerusalem and above the hills of Tel Aviv. That’s absurd.”
The prime minister urged European governments to “rethink” their decision and adopt what he called a more “realistic” approach to peace in the Middle East. “We’d prefer to have good relations with Europe, but with a realistic Europe — one that brings real peace instead of the repetition of horrible wars,” he said.
Meanwhile, the European Union has expressed support for the latest U.S.-led ceasefire proposal. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU remains committed to “ending civilian suffering” and advancing the two-state solution as “the only viable path to lasting peace.”
The EU recently announced it would suspend parts of its bilateral trade and cooperation agreements with Israel, though the move requires approval from a qualified majority of member states. Countries including Germany, Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic have opposed sanctions against Israel, limiting the bloc’s ability to take unified action.
