The European Union remains divided on how to respond to Israel’s war in Gaza, with Germany blocking efforts to suspend Israel’s participation in Horizon Europe, the bloc’s multibillion-euro research program.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government, influenced by Christian Democratic leader Friedrich Merz, has urged “waiting to see how the situation develops on the ground.” Diplomats from France, Spain, Ireland and Belgium argue the delay shields Israel from accountability as humanitarian experts warn of a man-made famine.
Merz has become a focus of frustration in Brussels. EU officials say Berlin’s stance leaves the bloc looking weak and divided. Protests across European capitals have increasingly targeted German embassies, accusing Berlin of blocking the EU’s moral response.
Conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate. The United Nations confirms widespread hunger, with families surviving on animal fodder and contaminated water. Aid convoys remain blocked, farmland and bakeries destroyed, and border restrictions enforced. Humanitarian groups describe the famine as preventable, pointing to policy choices in Tel Aviv and in Europe.
Diplomats say a German shift could tip the balance. Suspending Horizon ties would not cripple Israel’s economy but would mark the first coordinated EU rebuke since the war began, potentially opening the door to broader trade measures.
For now, Germany’s resistance leaves the EU paralyzed. “Every day Berlin delays, more children in Gaza starve,” one EU diplomat said.
