Former European leaders urge tougher EU action against Israel over Gaza and West Bank

Ex-ministers, commissioners and senior officials call for trade suspension, expanded sanctions and curbs on Israel’s EU agreements ahead of key Brussels and Luxembourg meetings

A group of more than 460 former European political figures has written an editorial calling on the EU to take tougher action against Israel over its military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The signatories include former Irish leaders Leo Varadkar and Eamon Gilmore, as well as former European Parliament President Pat Cox. Other former prime ministers include Italy’s Massimo d’Alema and Romano Prodi, Slovenia’s Robert Golob and Sweden’s Stefan Lofven, according to a report by Irish broadcaster RTE on Wednesday. The op-ed comes ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg next week and an EU summit in Brussels, where proposals to curtail trade with Israel and suspend parts of the EU-Israel Association Agreement will be discussed. The 27-member bloc has so far not imposed any measures against the state of Israel, which has continued its genocide in Israel since October 2023 despite a ceasefire, and also attacked Lebanon, Iran and Syria. The group set out its demands in strong terms, writing: "The European Union cannot stand aside. "It must now act urgently to implement recommendations such as those repeatedly made since July 2025 in a series of public statements by a group of now over 460 European former ministers, ambassadors and senior officials." It added: "Specifically, the EU must suspend Israel’s preferential trade access under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, thereby impacting one third of Israel's total trade in goods with the world. "This requires leadership from the European Commission and the European External Action Service who, in line with past practice, should propose that these measures be enacted through a qualified majority vote by EU member states." Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, says sanctions on Israel have not been imposed due to a lack of consensus among the member states of the union.