Is von der Leyen's U-turn on Gaza too little, too late?

Although the European Commission president went much further than expected in her acknowledgement of the ongoing horrors in Gaza, it is now up to EU member states to approve sanctions on and withdrawal of financial support to Israel

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen went much further than expected in her acknowledgement of the ongoing horrors in Gaza in her State of the Union speech last week. Picture: AP /Pascal Bastien

Ursula von der Leyen’s sympathetic language towards the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza is a surprising shift after two years of relative silence.

Despite several respected organisations — including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, and the International Association of Genocide scholars — coming to the conclusion Israel is committing genocide, as well as an overall obscene human cost across Palestinian territories, the president of the European Commission has until recently remained reticent when it comes to calling out Israel’s military assaults on Gaza.