Desk Report,
How Netanyahu’s sleep could have been taken away
The European Union and the United States have threatened sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza; but these measures are largely symbolic. And Benjamin Netanyahu knows all too well that the anger here is a show of force.
When Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to topple Netanyahu’s government if food aid reached starving civilians in Gaza, European leaders did not explode in anger; instead, they quietly spoke of freezing his bank accounts.
How Netanyahu’s sleep could have been taken away
A recent review of European Union foreign ministers found that 17 voted in favor of sanctions against Israel’s far-right ministers. 10 opposed. What was the result? The measures were very weak. Some canceled visas, others froze accounts. And in the meantime, the bombing of innocent people continued.
This is not really a measure to deter Israel. It is just diplomatic drama. And Netanyahu? He doesn’t tremble, he smiles. It’s a very old and familiar practice. Israel escalates the attacks. Gaza bleeds. The West wrings its hands helplessly and Netanyahu smiles.
No matter how much the European Union talks about human rights and a rules-based world order, in reality it doesn’t walk close to it. Israel’s devastating war has so far claimed the lives of millions of people, displaced almost the entire population of Gaza and pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. What Brussels is doing in response to all this is almost ironic.
Instead of suspending trade or imposing an arms embargo, the European Union has taken so-called “regulatory measures” against Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir. Steps have been taken to deny them visas and potentially freeze their bank accounts. It’s as if these two men—who openly advocate settler violence and ethnic cleansing—are restless to spend their vacation in Paris.
