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EuroPal Forum, London (2026)

04/10/2026

The Green Party of England and Wales has voted to class Zionism as a form of racism, passing the motion by 1,022 votes to 813 at its annual conference in Brighton. The policy describes Zionism as an “ethnonationalist political project” and calls for a single democratic state throughout historic Palestine, while reaffirming the party’s support for Palestinian self-determination and calling for an end to Britain’s arms trade with Israel.

The vote was opposed by four of the Green Party’s five MPs, with Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns saying they were “deeply saddened” by the decision. Former leader Caroline Lucas also argued against the motion. However, party leader Zack Polanski did not vote, as he was away campaigning in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

The policy has already triggered a major backlash. The Movement for Progressive Judaism accused the Greens of making antisemitism party policy, while Israel said the party had adopted an ideology aimed at eliminating the State of Israel. Despite criticism from the Movement for Progressive Judaism who accused the Greens of making antisemitism party policy, Green Party figures rejected the suggestion that supporting Palestinian rights conflicts with supporting Jewish rights.

On the contrary, some Green members are reportedly consulting lawyers over whether the policy breaches equality legislation, while barrister Adam Wagner said there was a “strong risk” it could discriminate against people holding Zionist beliefs.

The vote also comes against a recent UK legal backdrop. In 2024, an employment tribunal ruled in the case of former Bristol University professor David Miller that his anti-Zionist beliefs qualified as a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010, finding that he had been discriminated against because of those beliefs. Thus, this makes the vote particularly significant.

03/10/2026

Israel has revoked the diplomatic status of Dutch diplomats working at the Netherlands’ Representative Office in Ramallah, after the Dutch government imposed a ban on goods and services originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the diplomats must return their Israeli-issued documentation within seven days. He warned that countries taking what Israel considers “hostile and unilateral” measures would lose influence in the region.

The Dutch settlement ban came into force on 22 September prohibiting the import, purchase and sale of goods from Israeli settlements as well as services facilitating that trade.

The Netherlands’ Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen responded that he regretted what he called an “unnecessary” decision and said the government was considering its response. He defended the sanctions, reflecting that the Netherlands’ is obligated not to contribute to what it described as the unlawful situation created by the settlements. However, he also asserted that the sanctions were not aimed at Israel itself, only imports from settlements which are illegal under international law.

01/10/2026

Greece’s Education Ministry has reportedly urged universities across the country to expand academic and research cooperation with Israeli institutions, directing them towards an Israeli government funding programme worth around €2 million.

The programme supports joint research, conferences, workshops, scholarships and exchanges between Israeli and Greek academics and students.

The reported move comes two years after Palestinian solidarity encampments spread across European universities, with students demanding that their institutions cut ties with Israeli universities and companies they accused of contributing to Israel’s war in Gaza. In May 2024, encampments and occupations appeared at universities in Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark and elsewhere.

Greek students also established an encampment at the University of Athens, joining the wider European movement. Those protests specifically put academic cooperation with Israel under scrutiny. Yet, this new funding programme aims to support further joint research, conferences, workshops, scholarships and exchanges between Israeli and Greek academics and students.

The issue remains active in Greece. A September 2026 investigation found that 15 Greek universities continue to participate in EU research projects involving Israeli partners, including eight with Israeli government bodies or defence companies. Meanwhile, around 1,000 Greek researchers had previously signed a call for universities to end cooperation with Israeli institutions.

01/10/2026

Benjamin Netanyahu’s official aircraft flew through the airspace of Greece, Italy and France as the Israeli prime minister travelled to New York to address the UN General Assembly, despite his International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant in force.

Though the ICC found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution and other inhumane acts, in connection with Israel’s military attacks on Gaza, the three EU states fell short of taking the relevant action to enforce his arrest.

All three countries are parties to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. However, France has argued that the treaty does not require a state to prevent a state aircraft carrying a person wanted by the ICC from flying through its airspace. French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said the authorisation was therefore “in full conformity with international law”.

This contrasts with Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Spain, whose governments have publicly indicated that they would comply with or enforce the warrant if Netanyahu entered their territory.

The differing positions have renewed questions over how European states interpret their obligations towards an ICC arrest warrant, and why a wanted individual can travel through the airspace of several ICC member states while remaining beyond their reach.

29/09/2026

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was confronted by pro-Palestine protesters in a Liverpool restaurant as police arrested demonstrators outside the Labour Party conference for displaying support for banned group Palestine Action.

Around 180–200 people took part in a sit-in organised by Defend Our Juries, with protesters holding signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Two protesters then approached Miliband while he was eating at a restaurant near the conference venue, urging him to “deproscribe” Palestine Action and recognise Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. One activist also asked him to speak with demonstrators being arrested nearby, saying: “To have a conversation with us, come and talk to us as we are being arrested.”

The confrontation came as protesters continued to challenge the UK government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act in July 2025. The High Court subsequently ruled that the proscription was disproportionate and unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression and assembly, although the ban remained in force during the legal proceedings.

The incident also came just before Miliband told Labour’s conference that those who had been “moved and outraged” by the plight of Palestinians were “right”, while announcing more measures against Israel and its settlements.

27/09/2026

Ireland’s goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu, has withdrawn from the national team’s upcoming match against Israel, stating it would be wrong to participate while civilians are being killed in Gaza. His decision comes days after more than 160 Irish athletes publicly called on the national team to boycott the fixtures.

Bazunu, 24, told Ireland’s squad that he did not want to play before the team held a four-hour discussion over whether to fulfil Sunday’s Nations League match in Debrecen, Hungary. The players ultimately voted by a “significant majority” to play, meaning Bazunu became the only confirmed member of the squad to single-handedly withdraw.

In a statement, Bazunu said representing Ireland “means everything” to him, but that his faith and personal principles prevented him from taking part.

His withdrawal follows an open letter signed by more than 160 Irish athletes, which called on Ireland’s players to collectively refuse to participate in the two Israel fixtures, arguing that sport’s principles of equality and fairness are incompatible with Israel's current war on Gaza.

The Football Association of Ireland has also previously sought UEFA action against Israel. The FAI asked UEFA to suspend the Israel Football Association from European competitions, citing alleged breaches of UEFA regulations. UEFA did not grant the request.

The FAI has now confirmed that the matches will go ahead. Players have nevertheless agreed to wear black armbands commemorating those killed in the conflict and to skip parts of the traditional pre-match ceremony, including the handshake and exchange of pennants.

The split within the squad highlights the wider debate over whether symbolic protest while playing is enough, or whether refusing to participate is necessary to make a meaningful sporting statement. Bazunu has chosen the latter, while his teammates have opted to play while publicly signalling their opposition to the circumstances surrounding the fixture.

Ireland will face Israel again on 4 October in Bačka Topola, Serbia, with both matches being played away from the teams’ home countries and behind closed doors.

27/09/2026

The EU has announced 43 million in funding for projects aimed at restoring essential water and waste-management services in Gaza, but questions remain over how that money can be delivered while access and security for humanitarian workers remain severely restricted.

The projects, signed on 23 September under the EU’s new Team Gaza Initiative, include €37 million for improving access to safe water and reducing exposure to wastewater for around one million people. The announcement is part of a wider €883.6 million Team Gaza Initiative launched in July to coordinate early-recovery projects across water and sanitation, healthcare, energy, agriculture and food systems.

The funding is significant, particularly given the scale of Gaza’s destruction. But the announcement also highlights a central problem; and the EU itself acknowledged that “access for staff, equipment and supplies will be essential” for its commitments to become reality.

A UN report published on 24 September said around two-thirds of Gaza remains inaccessible or subject to severe access restrictions, while humanitarian organisations continue to face constraints on access and supplies. It also warned that the EU’s Team Gaza Initiative and other financing mechanisms had not yet translated into early recovery at scale.

In September alone, six UNRWA staff members were reportedly killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced people, while at least 220 UNRWA staff have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.

The funding therefore represents an important commitment to restoring services that people urgently need. Nonetheless, it falls short of resolving whether humanitarian workers can safely enter and operate in Gaza, and whether the necessary water, sanitation, fuel and reconstruction equipment can actually get in.

25/09/2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša after Slovenia blocked a joint EU statement condemning Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The statement concerned the E1 settlement project, where Israel has issued a tender for more than 1,200 housing units. Slovenia was the only EU member state not to support the joint statement, meaning EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas could issue the condemnation only in her own name.

Netanyahu publicly praised Janša for what he called his “courage and clarity”, accusing the EU of hypocrisy and arguing that it was wrong to object to Israeli settlement construction.

The EU's position, however, is that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including E1, are illegal under international law. Kallas said the E1 project would divide the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem.

Janša defended Slovenia’s decision, saying the country had removed itself from what he described as a cycle of “disproportionate condemnations” of Israel. His government has also reversed several policies adopted by Slovenia’s previous centre-left government, including restrictions on Israeli goods from settlements and other measures against Israel.

The shift has drawn criticism from Slovenia’s opposition, which argues that Janša’s government is abandoning the country’s previous position on Palestinian rights and international law.

24/09/2026

Israel’s Chamber of Commerce has opened a new office in Banja Luka, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-led entity, Republika Srpska, to strengthen economic and political ties.

The opening was attended by former Republika Srpska president and de facto leader Milorad Dodik, who has repeatedly expressed support for Israel since the Gaza war began.

The timing is striking. Just days earlier, thousands gathered in Banja Luka to honour Ratko Mladić, the Bosnian Serb military commander who was convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and died in prison in August. On 1 September, crowds marched through the city carrying flags and banners depicting Mladić and hailing him as a hero.

At the trade-office opening, Dodik invoked what he described as the shared historical suffering of Serbs and Jews, while Israeli ambassador Galit Peleg said the office would promote investment and business cooperation. Republika Srpska also says it plans to establish a programme supporting new Israeli technologies and has suggested that significant Israeli investment could follow.

The growing relationship has raised concerns in Sarajevo. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera said closer Republika Srpska–Israel and Serbia–Israel cooperation, particularly in the military sphere, could contribute to political tensions within Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They also warned that agreements pursued by Republika Srpska without coordination with Sarajevo could create problems for Bosnia’s EU integration.

23/09/2026

The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a criminal complaint in Italy against an Israeli soldier currently on holiday in Tuscany, on the basis of involvement in war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide committed in Gaza.

The foundation is calling on Italian authorities to open an immediate investigation into Yonatan Chalich.

According to HRF, Chalich served with the Tycoon Company of the Givati Shaked Battalion, under the 401st Armored Brigade, during Israel's war campaign on Gaza between October 2023 and August 2024. Its complaint alleges his involvement in three incidents: the siege and destruction of Al-Shifa Hospital in March to April 2024, the burning of the Haj Hamdi Harzallah Mosque in December 2023, and the destruction of Palestine Square in Gaza City that same month.

The foundation says that Chalich personally documented his presence inside Al-Shifa during the military operation, also citing photographs allegedly showing members of his unit inside the mosque while it was burning, and material showing the unit's involvement in the destruction around Palestine Square.

The foundation says it has previously filed complaints in Italy concerning suspected Israeli war crimes but that Italian authorities have taken no action. HRF is now urging Italy to investigate the allegations and take legal action against Chalich.

EuroPal Forum

04/10/2026

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