Israel-Hamas war is stoking fear and divisions in Europe

BRUSSELS – Monuments in cities across Europe were lit up in blue and white on the night of Oct 7, in solidarity with Israel after 1,400 of its citizens were killed in the worst attack the country has suffered in decades. 

Leaders, from French President Emmanuel Macron to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, voiced messages of unwavering support.

But the display of unity masked deep-seated social tensions that surfaced over the following days.

Across the region, Jews now fear a rise in anti-Semitism.

Muslims worry they are being equated with Hamas – the militant group that carried out the attack on Israel’s south. 

In the light of the

destruction of a hospital in Gaza City

on Tuesday night, which left at least 500 people dead, these dynamics will likely get worse.

Israel has claimed that the explosion was the result of a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza.

At least 3,000 Palestinians have already been killed due to Israeli military action in Gaza, which was in retaliation for the Hamas attack.

With more protests expected across European capitals, United States President Joe Biden landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning in an effort to salvage diplomatic efforts in the region.  

Meanwhile, in Europe, a failure of the 27 leaders of the European Union to speak with one voice is not helping. 

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, for example, has come under criticism.

She voiced strong support for Israel during a trip to the country.

But in the view of another EU official, she failed to call strongly enough on the Israeli authorities to respect international law in their retaliatory operations in Gaza.

The risk of alienating entire communities could further undermine social cohesion within the EU, which has already been tested by the war in Ukraine, the rise of populism and a historic cost-of-living crisis.

Social strains are particularly acute in Germany, given its recent history of migration and role in the Holocaust. 

It is also home to one of the largest Palestinian populations outside the Middle East.

The same night that the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was lit up with the colours of the Israeli flag, about 40 pro-Hamas demonstrators celebrated the Oct 7 attack.

In response to the rally in a predominantly Arab neighbourhood – and to reports that stars of David had been graffitied on homes thought to be occupied by Jews – Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed a “zero tolerance” approach to anti-Semitism and the glorification of the Hamas raid, promising to prosecute offenders.

Late on Tuesday night, firebombs were thrown in the direction of a synagogue in central Berlin. 

“Unknown persons threw two Molotov cocktails from the street,” the Kahal Adass Jisroel community wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Nobody was injured, and no buildings were damaged.

The centre-left chancellor also restricted pro-Palestinian demonstrations, prompting accusations of overreach from members of Germany’s Muslim community.

That added to unease between pro-Palestinian Arabs, Muslims and leftists and members of Germany’s broader political mainstream, which staunchly supports Israel.  

Residents of Berlin have been mindful of a deluge of misinformation and an outpouring of activism, and there have been no instances of mass violence in the past 10 days.

But recent gains by the far-right Alternative for Germany in regional elections have raised concern over whether the far-right will weaponise fears of anti-Semitism.

Similar scenarios are playing out across the region.

Adding to the sense of unease are two attacks by suspected militants elsewhere in the region.

Even though they do not appear to be related to the Israel-Hamas war, governments have rushed to try and calm nervous citizens.

“This is a time for more security, caution and awareness,” Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a press conference in Stockholm, after the

attack in Brussels on Monday that killed two Swedes

. “We cannot be too naive.” 

Across France, soldiers were dispatched to back up police after a

teacher was killed last week

in what President Emmanuel Macron called an act of terrorism. 

French Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt said on Tuesday that he is worried the recent assassination of a teacher might undermine support for an upcoming immigration bill that aims to help certain undocumented workers stay in France.

In Italy, prosecutors in Milan held a press conference this week to reassure a nervous public that the arrest of two Egyptian nationals on terror charges was not linked to the conflict in Israel, but rather the result of a police investigation dating back to 2021. 

And in Austria, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg warned about a potential increase in numbers of migrants in the event of a ground war in Gaza. A similar concern was voiced in Greece. 

Spain stands out for taking a very different approach.  

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s socialist government condemned Hamas’s attacks while calling for the recognition of Palestine statehood and for international humanitarian rights to be respected in Gaza. 

Spain has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

More than 10,000 people marched in Madrid on Sunday in one of the country’s biggest pro-Palestine demonstrations in years.

Meanwhile, with EU leaders still working to hammer out a unified message in response to the escalating conflict, German Chancellor Scholz became the first European leader to visit Israel since the Hamas attacks.

The chancellor arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, and will head to Egypt afterwards for a meeting with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Mr Scholz also met the relatives of German citizens being held hostage by Hamas. BLOOMBERG