While the United States has always been a close and reliable ally of the Jewish state, as evidenced by the extraordinary visit of US President Joe Biden this week, we must also take note of the slew of European leaders demonstrating solidarity with Israel at its time of need.
Among the prominent visitors to Israel over the past week have been British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism, and I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you,” Sunak said after landing in Israel on Thursday.
Scholz told a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Tuesday that Germany, too, stands firmly with Israel.
“In difficult times, Germany has only one place and that is by Israel’s side,” Scholz declared. “Germany supports the security of Israel and its citizens.”
Netanyahu made a point of thanking the chancellor for his pledge to protect the German Jewish community after two Molotov cocktails were thrown by two hooded men outside a synagogue in Berlin on Wednesday.
In a meeting with Scholz later that day, President Isaac Herzog echoed the prime minister’s gratitude to the chancellor for Germany’s strong pro-Israel stance.
“I want to thank you for coming to Israel, and I want to express the uttermost gratitude of the people of Israel to the people of Germany, to the parliament of Germany, and you and your government for supporting us in one of the darkest hours we have faced as a nation since the establishment of the State of Israel,” Herzog said.
The most heinous assault on Jews since the Holocaust
During her visit to Israel last week, von der Leyen called the Hamas attack on October 7 the most heinous assault against Jews since the Holocaust.
“I believe it was important to pass this message of solidarity in person, in Israel, just days after the Hamas attack,” von der Leyen said later in response to criticism of her bias toward Israel by several European Parliament lawmakers.
“Only if we acknowledge Israel’s pain, and its right to defend itself, will we have the credibility to say that Israel should react as a democracy, in line with international humanitarian law. And that it is crucial to protect civilian lives, even and especially in the middle of a war.”
Several foreign ministers have also made solidarity visits to Israel, including German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, whose meeting last Friday with two families whose loved ones had been abducted by Hamas brought her to tears.
Speaking to reporters alongside Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Baerbock said, “In these horrible days, we the people of Germany are standing with you.
We’re feeling with you. We are all Israelis in these days.”
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was forced to take shelter as a siren warning of incoming Hamas rocket fire sounded in Ofakim during his visit last Wednesday.
“Today I’ve seen a glimpse of what millions experience every day. The threat of Hamas rockets lingers over every Israeli man, woman and child,” Cleverly posted on social media. “This is why we are standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel.”
Officials from the 27-nation EU expressed concerns about a spike in antisemitic attacks at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday, a day after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that the EU was “on the edge of the abyss.”
“When I hear Muslim religious authorities speaking the language of inter-religious conflict and explicitly stating that Europe is a party to this conflict, I feel that the storm clouds are looming,” Borrell said.
With at least three people – two Swedish soccer fans in Belgium and a teacher in France – killed by suspected Islamist gunmen over the past week, coming to Israel is a welcome first step for European leaders.
Let’s hope that their visits here strengthen their resolve to prevent and tackle antisemitic attacks in their home countries, as well as their support for Israel’s right to engage in self-defense and do what it must to keep its people safe.