Israel’s Western allies turn against it over Gaza. Is it ‘too little, too late’?

After 1½ years of death and destruction in Gaza, Israel’s closest Western allies have begun to distance themselves from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – but only in their rhetoric, not by their actions.

Over the last two weeks, the leaders of Britain, Canada and the European Union have threatened to take “concrete steps” against Israel for violating international humanitarian law by blocking the delivery of food, medicine and other aid desperately needed by Gaza’s starving population.

Britain has suspended talks over a free-trade agreement with Israel, while the EU announced a review of its existing economic pact with the country.

Friedrich Mertz, the new chancellor of Germany – long Israel’s staunchest supporter in Europe in an effort to atone for Nazi Germany’s genocide of Jews in World War II – on Monday said the scale of human suffering in Gaza “can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism”.

Netanyahu is also finding himself increasingly at odds with Donald Trump. The US president had called in February for the Gaza Strip to be emptied of its 2.2 million Palestinian residents and turned into a Riviera-style resort and economic free zone.