EU’s negative statements about Israel increased post-October 7
The rate of negative official statements about Israel by European Union institutions has risen nearly 60% since the October 7 Hamas attacks, according to a study published Sunday by The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI).
Led by Professor Sharon Pardo, Shlomi Bareznik, Eli Kanai, and Dr. Hila Zehavi, the study analyzed more than 24,000 European External Action Service statements from 2017 to 2026, comparing those involving Israel with statements about several other countries.
After a relevance analysis, 3,584 statements remained, nearly 25% of them involving Israel. Overall, 38% of Israel-related statements were negative, 49% neutral, and 13% positive. Accounting for trends, negative statements rose from 29% before Oct. 7 to nearly 46% afterward, a 17-point increase that equals roughly a 59% increase relative to the original rate. Neutral statements fell from 51% to 46%, while positive statements dropped from 20% to 8%.
Among all countries studied, only Iran received a higher share of negative statements than Israel. Those statements focused on security issues, unlike the humanitarian and legal concerns cited in statements about Israel. Turkey received mostly neutral treatment, while more than two-thirds of statements involving Qatar were positive.
The study also found that just over half of Israel-related statements referenced the two-state solution, despite the term largely falling out of Israeli political discourse.
JPPI President Professor Yedidiya Stern said the findings show Europe is “turning its back on Jews,” despite once being “home to the majority of the Jewish people.”
He said antisemitic incidents are increasing, and that some state parliaments have passed laws restricting practices such as bris milah and shechitah. Stern argued the study shows the EU applies a negative double standard toward Israel and said Israel must work through multiple channels to reverse the trend, calling it a national security threat rather than simply an information challenge.
