We are now 721 days into the war in Gaza. According to Gaza health authorities, at least 65,000 people have been killed and over 166,000 wounded—with Israeli military data indicating that 83% of those killed are civilians. The New York Times headline on the day of shooting this podcast says it plainly: “Europe Talks Big on Gaza but Struggles to Act.”

In this episode of The Neomedieval Ledger, host Samuel Dempsey speaks with two of Europe’s most experienced foreign policy minds: Shada Islam, one of Brussels’ leading strategic thinkers on the EU’s global role, and Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, former EU Ambassador to Palestine.

We examine:

• Why the EU has been largely paralyzed on Gaza

• The wave of European recognition of Palestine and what it really means

• The EU’s unused economic and political leverage over Israel, including its Association Agreement and trade tools

• Why Europe rarely pressures the United States, Israel’s main arms supplier

• The debate over whether Israel’s actions meet the legal definition of genocide

• What real European leadership could look like

If you want clear, hard analysis on the EU’s role and failures—and where it could act if there was the will—this conversation is essential listening.

Shada Islam is a renowned Brussels strategist and founder of the New Horizons Project, named by Politico among the Top 20 Women Who Shape Brussels and ranked #5 EUInfluencer 2024, on influence on EU policy. 

Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff is a veteran EU diplomat and former EU Ambassador to Palestine, with decades of experience in various ambassadorial roles and in working on mediation at the European External Action Service.