Brussels, November 21st, 2025 – Europe will have to make up its mind: are we true friends and partners of Israel or do we want to continue to make life difficult for Israel by threatening with sanctions and boycotts? These were the words of Ambassador Avi Nir-Feldklein, the newly appointed Permanent Representative of Israel to the European Union when he spoke at the Annual Policy Conference of the European Coalition for Israel in the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday afternoon.

“Protecting Israel is a European value,” replied MEP Hildegard Bentele, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Israel. She described the realities after atrocities of 7 October 2023 as a watershed moment for Israel, for the Middle East and for Europe. They have forced us to confront new realities, the fragility of coexistence, the scale of radicalisation, the role of regional actors and the limits of our previous assumptions about the peace process. She concluded that there can be no return to pre-October 7 status quo and that there can be no reconstruction of Gaza without security, demilitarisation and a governing authority that rejects terror both in word and deed.

Latvian MEP Rihards Kols went one step further by stating that the Palestinian Authority is not a peace partner. It has exhausted its authority by failing to have elections in more than twenty years and in being unable to openly condemn the atrocities of October 7. The Gaza Peace Plan gives Europe a unique opportunity to rethink its engagement in the region but in order to do so its needs to start with political facts and realities on the grounds, not new resolutions and pipe dreams, he said. He concluded by saying that dismantling Hamas is not only in Israel’s interest but in the interest of all Europe as we face the same axis of evil also in the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Vladimír Janeček from the European External Action Service defended EU policies by saying that there is no other credible peace partner than the Palestinian Authority. Hamas can under no circumstances have any role in the future governing of Gaza. He acknowledged nevertheless that the PA must undergo real reforms in order to remain relevant for the EU but did not elaborate further on what would happen if they failed to reform. He was nevertheless optimistic about the prospect of a more peaceful Middle East in the future given that most of the regional actors are now directly involved in the Gaza peace process. He reassured the audience that the EU has a lot to offer in this process and is willing to play its part.

Simultaneously with the ECI conference EU Foreign Ministers met in Brussels to discuss the Gaza peace plan. In a separate high level meeting stakeholders held discussions about the reforms of the PA but without the participation of Israel which made Ambassador Nir-Feldklein ask why Israel is excluded from such a vital meeting.

In his remarks ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell could look back on more than 22 years of Annual Policy Conferences dealing with EU-Israel relations, mentioning both highs and lows in this partnership. Among the definite low points he mentioned the EU resolution from 2015, which requires EU member states to label products from the disputed territories. The resolution turned out to be a victory for the antisemitic BDS movement. Earlier in the week it was revealed that the largest chain of grocery stores in Finland, the S Group, has decided to stop selling Israeli products citing Israeli human rights violations and EU policies as the ground for their decision. Quoting the famous comic book character Spiderman, Sandell reminded the EU that with great power comes great responsibilities, and that the EU is a vital partner in the combat against antisemitism and should not engage in anti-Israel activities which can easily spill over to open antisemitism in Europe.

The Conference took place in conjunction with the 4th edition of the ECI Young Leaders Academy which brought together young leaders from across Europe to Brussels for a three-day training course in combating antisemitism and promoting good relations between Europe and Israel. Meeting with the EU Coordinator in the combat against antisemitism Katharina von Schnurbein on Wednesday she commended the work of ECI in raising up the next generation of leaders in the ongoing battle against Jew hatred, emphasising that it is the responsibility of all European citizens to protect Jewish life and not only of Jewish organisations. Speaking at the Young Leaders Academy earlier in the week Founding Director Tomas Sandell explained the vision behind the European Coalition for Israel to be a “coalition of all the others”, meaning that also those with no Jewish background need to get fully involved in the combat against Jew hatred.