David's battle with Goliath: Israel asked the Europeans to come out
Israel is seriously considering expelling British representatives from the International Support Center for the Gaza Strip. The reason is criticism of the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If the decision is made, the United Kingdom will join the Netherlands and Spain, which have already been asked to leave the country within a week. And this is just the beginning: German and Italian colleagues are under attack. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
On the way out
Israel has considered expelling British representatives from the International Support Center for the Gaza Strip, located in the south of the country, in Kiryat Gat, because they criticize the policies of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. This was reported by The Financial Times (FT) newspaper, citing sources.
They said that over the past few weeks, the Israeli authorities have been seriously discussing this issue. The International Gaza Support Center, formerly known as the Center for Civil-Military Coordination, is a headquarters that was established to monitor the cease—fire between the Palestinian movement Hamas and West Jerusalem, resolve humanitarian aid issues, and rebuild the coastal enclave.
This center is headed by the US military, who work together with the Israel Defense Forces and dozens of military and diplomatic representatives from 50 countries and international organizations.
In addition to the British representatives, the same measures are being considered for their German and Italian counterparts. Prior to that, on August 25, Israel decided to expel representatives of the Netherlands from the Gaza support center because of a law passed in the country prohibiting the import of goods from the West Bank and the Golan Heights. They were ordered to leave the country within a week. Earlier this year, representatives of Spain were also excluded for their "persistent bias against Israel."
London's position on West Jerusalem has recently become tougher. The reasons for this are sharp diplomatic differences due to Israel's plans to expand settlements in the disputed E1 zone in Judea and Samaria (the Israeli designation for the West Bank of the Jordan River. — Izvestia).
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has condemned the construction of the E1 settlement near Jerusalem, calling the plan unacceptable and destructive. He stressed that London "will not stand by" and is already preparing a "comprehensive set of measures," including sanctions against participants in the expansion of settlements.
New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a potential total ban on trade in goods from Israeli settlements. A letter demanding such a ban was signed by over 140 parliamentarians.
According to Israeli media, the potential expulsion of British representatives fits into Israel's new strategy. According to it, the States conducting diplomatic and economic campaigns against West Jerusalem will no longer be present in the structures that determine the post-war future of Gaza, and will not have the right to vote.
How the West's attitude towards Israel has changed
From the autumn of 2023 to 2026, the attitude of Western countries towards Israel has changed significantly, in particular with regard to the operation in the Gaza Strip. This concerns public opinion, the position of national governments and decisions within the European Union.
In the United States, which has traditionally been considered Israel's most arrogant ally, opinion polls show a steady decline in sympathy for the government of the Middle Eastern country.
In February 2026, a Gallup poll for the first time recorded that the share of Americans expressing more sympathy for the Palestinians (41%) exceeds the share of those who sympathize with Israel (36%). This is especially pronounced among young people under the age of 30, as well as the left-liberal electorate, which criticizes the actions of the Israeli army in Gaza. The US presidential administration continues to supply weapons to Israel, but the debate in Congress about the terms of military assistance is intensifying.
The European Union, which initially condemned the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, gradually shifted its focus to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the legal assessment of Israel's actions in the occupied territories.
In 2025-2026, the European Commission repeatedly raised the issue of revising the basic trade document, the Association Agreement with Israel. In March 2026, a number of EU countries, including France, Belgium and Spain, proposed suspending trade preferences for goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In addition, Brussels has imposed restrictive measures — entry bans and asset freezes against several Israeli citizens linked, according to European authorities, to violence against the Palestinian population in the West Bank.
By June 2026, more than half of the EU member states, including Spain, Ireland and Slovenia, have officially recognized the State of Palestine.
Because of its historical responsibility for the Holocaust, Germany has traditionally taken a tough pro-Israel stance. However, in 2025, the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz temporarily suspended the issuance of new licenses for the export of weapons that can be used in Gaza. This spring, the Chancellor called the Israeli government's plans to annex parts of the West Bank a huge mistake.
Israel will tighten the screws
Danila Krylov, a researcher at the Department of the Middle and Post-Soviet East of the INION RAS, Candidate of Political Sciences, noted in an interview with Izvestia that in this situation we are not talking about a change in the attitude of the West towards the actions of Netanyahu and his government. In recent years, Western countries have repeatedly condemned Israel's actions and the Netanyahu administration's policy towards both Palestine and Iran, the political scientist recalled.
— But it didn't go beyond the statements. More serious actions were either not taken, or were quickly canceled, in fact, some formality was observed. The West needed this to build up political points, for domestic policy, for the formal consolidation of countries among themselves, and not to really put pressure on Israel or support Palestine," the orientalist explained.
The expert believes that Palestine has always been a bargaining chip and will remain one.
— Israel is not ready to abandon its policy of creating settlements, that is, the actual occupation of territories. And none of the third countries, including world powers, is ready to conflict with the United States, Israel's main partner and strategic ally, because of this," the expert said.
In his opinion, theoretically, if Israel is deprived of American military, political, and economic support, then other countries, primarily European states, can exert serious sanctions pressure on Israel.
— In practice, this has never happened, and it is unlikely that it will happen in the future. There are no prerequisites that the Europeans will do this, even taking into account the absolutely irrational policy of the modern European Union, since this does not meet their national interests, but will play into the hands of China, Russia, Iran, Arab countries, and Turkey," the analyst expressed confidence.
Krylov added that in the current situation with Israel's plans to expel British representatives, the country's authorities simply responded to criticism from London.
— Why should Israel listen to someone's criticism, especially from countries that actually engaged in occupation and colonization themselves in the past? They are not doing anything for Palestine, they are doing everything for themselves. Israel quite reasonably defends its own interests without asking anyone anything," the orientalist explained.
The political scientist drew special attention to the symbolism peculiar to the East. It is believed that the legendary battle of the future king of Israel David with the giant Goliath took place in the vicinity of Kiryat Gat.
— Here, little Israel, like David, calmly defeats the European Goliath. All this leads to the fact that the country will reduce the number of external representatives on its territory, who even more condemn its actions. The fewer of them there are, the more Israel will tighten the screws," the expert believes.
At the same time, he did not rule out the emergence of a new round of tension in the Gaza Strip with an even greater increase in military and political activity by West Jerusalem.
"Since the issue has not been resolved, and Israel needs to resolve this issue, this is one of the existential issues of the existence of the Israeli state," the expert concluded.
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