Amélie Férey - Head of the Defense Research Unit at the Security Studies Center of Ifri.

Terminating the association agreement between the European Union and Israel would mark an unprecedented break with Europe’s longstanding tradition of support for the State of Israel.

Israel has always seen itself as an extension of Europe in the Levant: because Zionism was born in Europe; because the country’s political, intellectual, and military elite is predominantly Ashkenazi; and because a significant portion of the Israeli population today holds a European passport.

Breaking this agreement would assert that Europe’s attachment to Israel cannot justify turning a blind eye to the fundamental principles of international law. It would acknowledge that the protection of civilians, proportionality in the use of force, and limits on state power are integral parts of the European legacy—the very one forged in the aftermath of 1945. It would also weaken even more Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the eyes of the Ashkenazi elite and, beyond, of all his contenders.

Such a move would allow the EU to respond to accusations of inertia and double standards—which Russia, China, and Iran—are keen to exploit, and mark a step toward the emergence of a geopolitical Europe. Above all, it would align with the idea that Europe can—and must—embody a democratic alternative on the global stage.

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> Read the full commentary on Carnegie's website.