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European concerns over US commitment to Nato persist after Trump’s criticisms – Europe live

Meanwhile, Lithuanian prosecutor general Nida Grunskienė said she would request legal assistance from the US as the country continues a pre-trial investigation into potential human trafficking offences triggered by the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s correspondence. The investigation was launched in February after several central and eastern European countries raised concerns about reports linking alleged Epstein’s associates with the region. Latvia and Poland also opened their separate inquiries. Grunskienė told a press conference that the prosecutors spoke to some 20 people, with no victims identified yet, Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT reported. “Information is being gathered and analysed, and we are preparing to send a request for legal assistance to the United States,” she said.

Coordinated conflict: how the Ukraine and Iran wars are starting to overlap

The Iran and Ukraine wars are becoming more intertwined with every passing week – to the point that some analysts argue the two conflicts are beginning to merge. Quite how each war will affect the trajectory of the other is hard to predict, but it is already clear that their interconnectedness is drawing more countries into both cauldrons, extending an arc of instability that straddles Europe and the Middle East. From Ukraine’s point of view, the connection is nothing new. Russia began using Iranian-made Shahed drones in September 2022, seven months into Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion. What is new is Moscow’s return of the favour to Tehran, with a reported flow of intelligence, targeting and drones to Iran after the US-Israeli assault on 28 February. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s tour of the Middle East over the past few weeks has cemented another cross-regional link between the two conflicts, sealing agreements to provide drone and anti-drone technology and training to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, while initiating security talks along similar lines with Jordan. The two wars are also converging through global energy markets. The initial impact of the attack on Iran, along with Tehran’s response in closing down Gulf shipping through the strait of Hormuz, favoured Russia through a spike in oil and gas prices. For Moscow, the increase in demand has provided an economic lifeline just as its economy was coming under growing strain, prompting the government to drop plans for budget cuts. To stabilise the market, the Trump administration has eased some restrictions on Russian oil exports that were intended to pressure the Kremlin over its war in Ukraine. Furthermore, Asian countries, particularly those hit by the closure of the strait of Hormuz – including Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka – are now lining up to buy Russian oil. In an effort to limit Russia’s windfall, Ukraine has in recent days intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. A Reuters estimate last week said up to 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity had been halted after mass Ukrainian drone attacks. The conflicts have become so interlocked that what happens in one theatre of war now has a tangible impact on the other – a fact emphasised by European states, anxious to avoid being sucked into a spiralling Middle East conflagration. The UK defence secretary, John Healey, pointed to Putin’s “hidden hand” behind Iran’s drone tactics. “These wars are very much interlinked,” said the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. “So if America wants the war in the Middle East to stop – Iran to stop attacking them – they should also put the pressure on Russia so that they are not able to help them.” The Trump administration has been reluctant to acknowledge the linkage, maintaining preferential treatment of Moscow, easing sanctions, allowing a Russian shipment of oil to break the US blockade on Cuba even as ever stronger evidence emerged of Russian assistance to Iran in the midst of the war. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, insisted Russia’s role in Iran was not “impeding or affecting” US operations. “The Americans don’t want to interlink the two wars and punish Russia,” said Hanna Notte, the director for Eurasia at the James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies. There are signs that the US is putting more pressure on Kyiv for its attacks on Russian oil facilities, keeping the oil price high, than on Moscow for supplying lethal weaponry to Iran to fire at US and allied targets. The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Trump had threatened to cut off weapon supplies to Ukraine if European allies did not help reopen the Hormuz strait. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Zelenskyy said Kyiv had received “signals” from partners urging it to scale back strikes on Russian energy facilities. He insisted that the strikes would continue as long as Russian attacks targeted Ukraine’s own energy infrastructure. Russia’s deepening involvement in Iran’s defence, however, will put new pressure on Trump’s pro-Russian inclinations. For the Kremlin, support to Iran offers a chance to rebuild its geopolitical standing after a series of setbacks. Dragged down by its war in Ukraine, the Kremlin was forced to stand largely on the sidelines as key allies fell – including the toppled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, who was captured in a US operation and removed from power “Once it became clear that the US was struggling to convert military superiority into political gains, Russia saw an opportunity to expose American weakness,” Notte said. “It is in their interests to give the Americans a bloody nose and prolong the war.” Zelenskyy has alleged that Moscow provided Iran with intelligence based on satellite imagery in the run-up to an Iranian drone and missile strike on US planes and personnel at the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia on Friday, injuring 12 Americans. Russia is also suspected of sending drones, perhaps including Gerans, Moscow’s own update on the Shahed, in road shipments disguised as humanitarian convoys. Ukraine’s bloodily earned experience of Shaheds and Gerans made Zelenskyy a sought-after guest in Gulf capitals. He has seized the opening, offering to export low-cost, battlefield-tested technologies to help address local shortages of weapons, while showcasing a new global role for Ukraine: no longer just a recipient of aid, but a supplier. Kyiv is not just selling interceptors, but also software, electronic warfare systems and maritime drones. “We are taking a systemic approach to this,” Zelenskyy said. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House thinktank, said Ukraine’s new security network in the Gulf gives the country more clout with Washington – a riposte to Trump’s repeated jibe that Kyiv has “no cards” in its battle with Russia. “Ukraine is trying to show that our cards are about being a very robust, agile, fast-adapting and producing economy that can both defend against Russia and also defend other countries through weapons system sales,” Lutsevych said. She added that the security relationships cultivated in the Gulf could provide a vital alternative source of desperately needed finance for Ukraine’s arms industry, at a time when EU funds have been blocked by Hungary. “Ukraine has production capabilities but not enough investment. It can produce more, but it doesn’t have enough orders or capital,” Lutsevych said. “So this actually comes as a great opportunity to use these production facilities.” The interconnected regional conflicts are still some way off from becoming a world war, argued William Spaniel, an associate political science professor at the University of Pittsburgh, “but it is further connecting the battlefield outcomes, and it will have longer lasting implications for how the battle lines are divided”. Fiona Hill, a former Russia adviser in the first Trump administration, argued that if modern forms of warfare such as cyber, hybrid and other grey zone operations are taken into account, a world war has been under way for some time and has been brought closer to a boil by the Iran war. “I think it meets that threshold for a system-changing war,” Hill, now at the Brookings Institution, said. “There’ll be all kinds of new configurations of countries that will have sprung up.” She pointed to the unpredictable impact on global stability of oil and fertiliser shortages, giving a wide array of other states motives to become involved in the Middle East, and the question of whether China would take advantage of Washington’s distraction to take action against Taiwan. “We’ve got a ‘four horses of the apocalypse’ going here … and I just feel that people are sleepwalking into it.”

World’s oldest tortoise caught in viral crypto death scam

At 194 years old, Jonathan, the giant tortoise, was a youngster when Queen Victoria ascended to the throne – and has now lived long enough to fall victim to a crypto scam. News outlets including the BBC, Daily Mail and USA Today falsely reported his death after an X account posing as Jonathan’s vet broke the news. The post, attributed to “Joe Hollins”, claimed: “Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world’s oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on Saint Helena. “As his vet for many years, it was an honour to care for him – hand-feeding bananas, watching him bask in the sun and marvelling at his quiet wisdom. He leaves behind a legacy of resilience and longevity that inspired millions. Rest easy, old friend. You’ll be missed more than words can say.” Though the post received 2m views and was reported as fact by the UK’s national broadcaster, checks by the Guardian revealed the account was based in Brazil. The real vet, who does not use X, said: “Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive. I believe on X the person purporting to be me is asking for crypto donations, so it’s not even an April fool joke. It’s a con.” The impostor was indeed asking for cryptocurrency donations at the time the BBC published – and later retracted – its report. Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, is the world’s oldest known land animal. He has lived on the grounds of the governor’s mansion on Saint Helena, since 1882, when he arrived as a gift to the South Atlantic island. Nigel Phillips, the governor, was getting ready for bed on Wednesday night when he was inundated with anxious messages. He got up and searched the grounds to check on the tortoise. “Jonathan is asleep under a tree in the paddock,” he told the Guardian, adding that the animal was “very much alive”. On Thursday morning, Phillips joked that Jonathan had issued a press statement: “The report of my death was an exaggeration … Mark Twain, not Oscar Wilde. Jonathan would nonetheless have had the chance enjoy both their works in the original first editions.” Despite being blind from cataracts and having lost his sense of smell, Jonathan remains hale and hearty with a strong appetite for bananas and a healthy libido – he tries to mate with two younger tortoises who also reside on the governor’s property. A local celebrity, the tortoise has appeared on the reverse of Saint Helena’s 5p coin.

Thursday briefing: Why does Donald Trump have it in for the UK?

Good morning. Another week, another tirade against the UK from Donald Trump. The US-Israeli conflict with Iran has further inflamed tensions in the special relationship, which was already under strain from attacks by the capricious US leader. So far this week, Trump has once again mocked the UK’s navy, instructed allies worried about jet fuel supplies to take it from the strait of Hormuz themselves, and announced that the US is considering leaving Nato. The outbursts have become a pattern since the war with Iran began – and mark a departure from the unlikely friendly relationship Starmer and Trump have enjoyed until now. But why, exactly? To understand why the special relationship has become the focus of Trump’s irritation, I spoke with David Smith, the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief. But first, the headlines. Five big stories Middle East | Donald Trump used a prime-time address to the nation to declare the month-long war in Iran a success “nearing completion”, despite a spiralling conflict that has caused economic turmoil across the globe, fractured transatlantic alliances and eroded the president’s approval ratings. UK politics | The UK will seek an even deeper partnership with the EU because of the instability wreaked by Donald Trump’s war with Iran, Keir Starmer has said, adding that the moment called for a more ambitious deal with Brussels. Nasa | Nasa’s moon rocket Artemis II launched on Wednesday evening, carrying astronauts to the moon for the first time in almost 54 years. BBC | The BBC confirmed in a statement it was first made aware of a police investigation into historical allegations of sexual abuse by Scott Mills in 2017. NHS | Claims by Palantir that concerns over the US data analytics company’s multimillion-pound NHS contract are “ideologically motivated” have been rejected by the chair of a parliamentary committee. In depth: ‘This is not our war, and we’re not going to get dragged into it’ The UK, more than any other US ally, has been singled out for criticism by the Trump administration since the beginning of the war with Iran. President Trump has dismissed British prime minister Keir Starmer as “no Winston Churchill”, repeatedly mocked London’s military capability, and criticised the UK’s hesitance to approve the use of its airbases for US operations in the Middle East. Rather than railing against Vladimir Putin’s Russia, who is believed to be providing support to Iran, America’s allies – Germany, France and Spain – have also earned the US president’s ire: becoming the subject of his irate monologues to television cameras in Washington DC. European nations have been firm in their stance on the conflict: they will not join the US and Israel in their attacks on Tehran. But Starmer’s hesitance appears to have angered Trump above all else. There are obvious parallels to the Suez Crisis in 1956, when Britain and France were forced to withdraw from Egypt under pressure from the US and the Soviet Union after they invaded the key transport route to confront Arab nationalist president President Abdel Nasser. “We cannot, in the world any more than in our own nation, subscribe to one law for the weak, another law for the strong; one law for those opposing us, another for those allied with us,” President Eisenhower said at the time. It seems like the shoe is on the other foot in 2026. Starmer, for his part, has been cautious not to criticise Trump in public, insisting “this is not our war, and we’re not going to get dragged into it”. On Wednesday, he said that the UK would pursue closer ties with the EU in light of the conflict. *** When affection turns to tension David thinks part of Trump’s focus on the UK is because of Trump’s genuine affection for the UK. “I think Britain is the first ally he thinks of. It is the special relationship, supposedly the closest ally,” he says. “Of all the countries in the world, Britain is the one he feels a certain kinship with because his mother was Scottish. He’s of the generation that grew up with second world war movies and he’s locked in with that idea of Britain and America together. He has Winston Churchill’s bust in the Oval Office. There’s Reagan and Thatcher, Bush and Blair. These are the cultural touchstones that he reaches for,” says David. But sometimes with closeness, comes entitlement, explains David. “There is a certain arrogance of taking Britain for granted. Whatever uncertainties there are in the world, there’s a feeling that Britain will unswervingly and unquestioningly back the US in any operation. Trump would be aware of the very close military and intelligence partnership. That makes the perceived betrayal all the harsher when Britain is suddenly not a lapdog,” he says. *** A very fine line A lot does hinge on the special relationship being maintained. On the part of the UK and European countries, there is a fine line to walk. The continent’s collective security remains heavily dependent on the US’s military might – and there is little sign of that changing in the short term. The UK government, like other European countries, does not want to get involved in an unpopular and seemingly directionless war with Iran, but they cannot afford a deeper rupture with the US. For the US, the Iran conflict has been a lesson in the limits of its power: they still need the support of allies in Europe, the Gulf and around the world to project their strength. At the end of this month, King Charles will visit the US. Trump has promised the UK head of state a banquet dinner at the White House to mark the 250th anniversary of the USA. Many diplomats will be hoping that the fighting in Iran has finished by the time the king arrives in the US capital. Whatever the state of the war by the time the banquet begins, King Charles will almost certainly dine with an unpopular US leader. Trump’s ratings sank to an all time low in his second term in March. A University of Massachusetts Amherst poll found his approval rating was just 33%, with skyrocketing prices, a falling stock market and an unpopular war in Iran to blame. Even for Trump, it would be a stretch to blame that on the UK and the US’s European allies. The consequences of the war are becoming apparent to many Americans. *** An unpopular President While the consequences of the fighting in Iran are not biting as they have been in Europe and Asia, fuel prices have risen and the consequences are starting to appear on television news. “You see people interviewed on TV complaining about gas prices, which are now topping $4 a gallon. America is such a car country that’s always an absolutely huge barometer,” says David. But he cautions that the impacts of the Iran war have not cut through with the American public in the same way as Europe. “Anecdotally, Fox News went to a beach in California and people had no idea of the difference between Iran or Iraq. They didn’t know what the whole thing was about. I suspect that a lot of people are not really engaged as it’s far away,” he says. With no sign of a negotiated end to the fighting, Trump signalled this week that the US could exit the conflict without an agreement with Iran, potentially leaving other countries to pick up the pieces. The UK will host talks in the coming days between 35 countries about re-opening the strait of Hormuz as a result of this threat. David says that this appears to be an increasingly likely outcome of the conflict – which might heap further strain on the transatlantic alliance. “I wonder if consciously or otherwise, it becomes very convenient for America to turn on its heels and disappear from Iran, and say ‘OK, you guys get on with it. We’ve done the hard work,’” says David. “On one level, it would be a concession that it’s gone badly for America and they can’t handle it any more. But in a very cynical Trump fashion, he may think to himself in terms of the alternative reality he can project on Fox news where he can say he won the war and it’s not America’s problem any more.” What else we’ve been reading Keith Stuart makes me feel sad I did not attend the Friday Late celebration of video game play and performance at the V&A, where, he says, players get to envisage games placed between renaissance paintings. Martin Although they can be a disaster for wildlife, balloon releases to mark birthdays and special celebrations are more popular than ever in the UK. Is it time to consider a ban to protect nature? Patrick By leaning heavily on rap lyrics and racist dog whistles, Texas prosecutors managed to drown out mitigating evidence that might have spared James Broadnax from the death penalty. Ed Pilkington reports. Martin Love it or hate it, reformer pilates is everywhere. Anita Chaudhuri interrogates the truth behind the divisive fitness trend. Patrick Monocle spoke with mayors from Europe and London’s deputy mayor for housing about the challenges facing their constituents and how they’re working to improve urban living conditions. Martin Sport Cricket | The MCC has ruled out buying or investing in Middlesex as their long-term tenants at Lord’s begin another season in a state of crisis. Football | Lamine Yamal has criticised “intolerable” chants by Spain fans during a friendly against Egypt in Barcelona that police are investigating for Islamophobia and xenophobia. Football | Jacob Steinberg runs the rule over how England’s 2026 men’s Fifa World Cup squad is shaping up after the winless March friendlies. The front pages “Trump ‘absolutely’ considering taking US out of Nato alliance” is the Guardian splash. “Furious Trump threatens to withdraw US from Nato” is top story at the Times, the Mail says “Now Trump goes to war on Nato” and the Telegraph headlines “Trump: US could quit Nato”. The FT leads on “Starmer leans towards Brussels after Trump’s taunts sap transatlantic trust” and the i Paper splashes on “Europe fears Putin will start a new war after Trump’s threat to quit Nato”. The Sun runs “Stacey & Joe’s sham wedding” and the Mirror says “This is amazing” about SMA testing. Today in focus ‘Tinder for Nazis’ and the woman who hacked it Anonymous activist Martha Root on how she hacked into, and took down, a dating site for white supremacists. With reporting from investigative journalist Eva Hoffman. Cartoon of the day | Nicola Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad In Mozambique, scientists are turning bat droppings into a powerful tool for conservation – and for local communities. By analysing DNA in guano in Gorongosa national park, researchers can track entire ecosystems without disturbing wildlife. The findings show bats “feed on insects – including mosquitoes … and pests”, helping protect crops and human health. The aim is practical as well as scientific: “We want a scientific base to convince the community” to protect caves and habitats. By revealing bats as allies rather than threats, the project is helping people and wildlife thrive together – proof that even bat poo can play a part in a more sustainable future. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Martin Belam’s Thursday news quiz Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply

One killed and buildings damaged as magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes Indonesia

One person has been killed after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Ternate island, damaging buildings and triggering small tsunami waves. The quake, which had a depth of 35km, occurred on Thursday at 6.48am local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. Its epicentre was 127km (79 miles) west-north-west of Ternate, an island in Indonesia’s North Maluku province. The US tsunami warning system initially alerted to the risk of hazardous tsunami waves within 1,000km of the epicentre, including along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, saying waves reaching 0.3 metres to 1 metre (3.2ft) above the tide level were possible on some of the Indonesian coastline. About two hours after the quake, it confirmed the threat of a tsunami had passed. Strong shaking lasting 10 to 20 seconds was felt in Bitung – a coastal city on the north-eastern edge of Sulawesi island – and surrounding areas, as well as in Ternate city, according to Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB). Tsunami waves were recorded in five locations, according to Indonesia’s BMKG meteorology agency, which said the highest – at 0.75 metres (2.46ft) – occurred in North Minahasa in North Sulawesi province. A total of 11 aftershocks were monitored, the largest at a magnitude of 5.5. The authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant. “At this stage, caution is still required, particularly for communities living along the coast,” a spokesperson for BNPB said in a statement, telling residents to refrain from returning to beaches or coastal areas until authorities confirmed it was safe to do so. A 70-year-old woman died in North Sulawesi’s Minahasa district, and another resident was injured after the quake. Images showed a sports complex in North Sumatra that was damaged, with mangled wall panels and metal bars lying across the ground outside. BNPB said initial assessments showed “minor to moderate” damage to buildings in areas of Ternate, which has a population of about 205,000. A church in the Batang Dua Island district was damaged, as were two houses in South Ternates. In Bitung, efforts to assess the damage were continuing, the agency said. The quake was initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.8, the US Geological Survey said. Japan’s meteorological agency said “slight sea level changes” might occur along Japan’s coast but that no tsunami damage was expected. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology later confirmed there was no tsunami threat to their territories. An Agence France-Presse journalist in Manado, North Sulawesi province, said the shaking woke him and others in the city, who rushed outdoors. “I immediately woke up and left my house. People [were] immediately scrambling outside,” he said. “There is a school and the pupils rushed outside.” He said the shaking persisted for “quite long” but he did not witness “significant damage”. Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 280 million people, is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the “ring of fire”, an arc of volcanoes and faultlines in the Pacific basin. In 2022, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake killed at least 602 people in West Java’s Cianjur city, the deadliest one in Indonesia since a 2018 quake and tsunami in Sulawesi killed more than 4,300 people. In 2004, an extremely powerful Indian Ocean quake set off a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia’s Aceh province. This area of the Molucca Sea often experiences moderate to large earthquakes, according to the US Geological Survey. Over the past 50 years, nine other earthquakes with a magnitude higher than seven have occurred within 250km of Thursday’s earthquake, though few have caused major damage because of their location at sea.

‘Payment expected within seven days’: New Zealand doctor invoices US embassy for rising petrol costs

A New Zealand doctor has asked the US embassy in Wellington to reimburse his clinic for petrol costs, saying Donald Trump and his administration started an “avoidable war” and should foot the bill for rising fuel prices. Dr Shane Dunphy, of Onslow medical centre in New Zealand’s capital, requested the US embassy pay his centre NZ$2,790.95 (US$1,597) for the cost of petrol vouchers provided to staff to help pay for transport. In a letter sent with the invoice, Dunphy said his staff were struggling to afford petrol because of the energy crisis triggered by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. The clinic had provided the vouchers to staff so they could afford to come to work and feed their families, he said. “We now ask that the USA reimburse us the cost of these vouchers. The USA is responsible for this and therefore should be held accountable.” New Zealand is particularly exposed to the energy crisis caused by the conflict, as it is highly dependent on global trade and susceptible to disruptions in supply chains and shipping. Petrol prices have increased up to 50 cents a litre, pushing the average price of unleaded fuel to more than $3 per litre. Dunphy’s letter takes aim at Trump and called the attack on Iran “immoral and completely unjustified”. He encouraged other individuals and businesses to send the US embassy their invoices for increased costs, but added: “No amount of money could compensate for the human misery and loss of life Trump and the USA are responsible for.” Dunphy signed off his letter saying: “Payment is expected within seven days”. Speaking to the Guardian, Dunphy said he felt compelled to send the letter and invoice on 27 March as “a matter of principle”. “If you break something, you should fix it,” he said. “I think that the whole world needs to be pointing the finger at the US and saying, sort this out. You voted this man to be president. You sort it out.” Dunphy criticised nations that had not condemned the war, including New Zealand and its prime minister, Christoper Luxon. “Unless they stand on principle, you know, what do we have?” Dunphy said. “One man has led to this global economic crisis. So that sums it up for me, that’s why I’ve done it.” Dunphy said he didn’t anticipate the embassy would pay the account. The US embassy has been contacted for comment.

‘Weak and pathetic’: why is the EU not using its leverage to stop Israel?

The human costs of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon were plain to see when the Irish MEP Barry Andrews visited Beirut last month. He met people who had fled Israeli airstrikes and complied with evacuation orders in southern Lebanon. At makeshift shelters – converted schools – conditions were even worse than during Israel’s last incursion in 2024, he was told. “There are dirty mattresses, dirty blankets, [people] are getting infections, they are getting rashes,” he said recalling a picture of misery compounded by swingeing aid budget cuts. Andrews, who chairs the parliament’s development committee, was in Lebanon two weeks after Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, fired rockets into Israel, triggering massive retaliatory strikes by Israeli forces. On his return from Lebanon, Andrews was one of the first European lawmakers to call for the EU to revive sanctions against Israel. He believes the EU must respond to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, but also state-backed settler violence in the West Bank, attacks on health workers in Gaza, and Israel’s potential reinstatement of the death penalty against Palestinians after a vote in the Knesset this week. Yet, one month into the Iran war, the EU – one of Israel’s closest allies and most important economic partners – has not gone beyond words in an attempt to sway Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Critics say the EU can and should use its economic and diplomatic leverage. Andrews said: “When the European Union takes a principled stand on these issues the Israelis do pay attention.” The EU could exert economic pressure via its association agreement with Israel, a commerce and cooperation accord that underpins a €68bn (£59bn) trading relationship and promotes cooperation in areas, including energy and scientific research. Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, the EU representative to the Palestinian territories until 2023, believes the EU should suspend this agreement with Israel, halt all military support and cease trade with illegal settlements. He fears that without action to defend international law in Gaza and the West Bank, the EU’s reputation “will be further severely affected”. He said: “The usual words of concern and condemnation are not enough; they are meaningless when not followed by effective measures to hold Israel to account.” Andrews said the EU’s response to the war on Iran and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon had been “weak and pathetic”. “It demonstrates that time and time again, Israel has been given a permission slip for endless war crimes.” For its part, the European Commission condemned the Knesset vote for the death penalty, which would apply to Palestinians but not Jewish extremists, as “very concerning” and “a clear step backwards”. The Council of Europe, the continental human rights body, which has signed 28 treaties with Israel, described the vote as “a legal anachronism incompatible with contemporary human rights standards”. Western leaders have warned Israel against a ground offensive in Lebanon, while condemning Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel. In the past four weeks, more than 1,240 people have been killed in Lebanon, including at least 124 children, while more than 1.1 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Away from the headlines, at least 673 people have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire, bringing the death toll in the devastated territory to 72,260. The EU’s reluctance to take measures against Israel is a familiar story. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, last September proposed unprecedented sanctions against Israel, citing the “manmade famine” in Gaza and “a clear attempt to undermine the two-state solution” with settlement plans in the West Bank. Von der Leyen, a German conservative, had previously been accused of being an uncritical defender of Israel. She was responding to intense public scrutiny of the horrors unfolding in Gaza, where Israel is accused of committing genocide, and the call by a large majority of EU member states to review the bloc’s association agreement. But the sanctions never found majority support in the EU council of ministers and momentum dissipated when Trump announced his Gaza ceasefire plan in October. EU countries remain concerned about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and relentless violence in the West Bank, which the Israeli state has been accused of enabling. “There may come a point when we need to increase the pressure on Israel again,” said one senior EU diplomat in mid-March, describing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank as “highly problematic”. The EU’s initial response to the war was cautious in part, diplomats suggested, because Israel and the US targeted Iran, a regime strongly condemned by the EU for massacring its own people and sowing bloody mayhem in the Middle East and Ukraine via drone supplies from Russia. A second EU diplomat, who supported the association agreement review in 2025, emphasised the importance of maintaining contacts with Israeli society, citing an open letter from 600 Israeli security officials calling for an end to the war in Gaza last August – an appeal published as Israel considered intensifying the war on the devastated territory. “These are not peaceniks … these are people from the Israeli security establishment, who are very much concerned about the policies of their own government. The EU has to relate to that in one way or another.” Moreover, the EU has been historically divided on the its stance towards Israel. Ireland, Spain and Slovenia, for instance, have been staunch defenders of the Palestinian cause, while Germany and Austria, for historical reasons, have been deeply reluctant to criticise Israel. Adding to the complexity, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is Netanyahu’s ideological soulmate and has played a crucial role in vetoing otherwise uncontentious measures, such as sanctions on extremist settlers in the West Bank. A commission spokesperson emphasised this week that diplomatic engagement with Israel was continuing “and this is what we do with our regular partners when we don’t see developments eye to eye”. Kühn von Burgsdorff, the former EU envoy, argues for a more robust approach. “How can it serve Europe to be seen as a sidekick of an erratic, unreliable and apparently megalomaniac US president, or of a warmongering, annexationist Israeli prime minister. That cannot be in Europe’s interest, because it comes at the expense of relations with other parts of the world.”