The international outcry over Israel's mistreatment of the Gaza flotilla activists is unlikely to trigger a fundamental shift in Europe's relationship with the Netanyahu government, a former European diplomat has told The New Arab. European governments have roundly condemned far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he filmed himself taunting hundreds of detained activists seized by Israeli forces in international waters on Monday.
Several countries, including close Israeli ally Italy, summoned Israel's ambassadors on Wednesday and sharply criticised the abuse of European nationals.
Since their release on Friday, activists have alleged they were subjected to severe mistreatment by Israeli authorities, including multiple instances of torture, sexual assault and rape .
But according to a former EU diplomat, the condemnation is unlikely to translate into heavier European sanctions.
"Unfortunately, this won’t be a watershed moment," said Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, a former EU ambassador to the Occupied Territories.
"The EU and most member states did not react in any meaningful way during the slaughter of tens of thousands of children and women in Gaza and failed to act against Israel's relentless expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank," he told The New Arab .
"Palestinians must come to the conclusion that, for Europe, their lives do not matter."
Europe has offered a muted response to Israel's unrestrained military offensives across the region and backing of settler terrorism in the West Bank, with key countries continuing to offer support despite widespread violations of international law.
EU states last week agreed to sanction a handful of violent settlers, who have rampaged around the West Bank, attacking Palestinian villages and displacing civilians.
But more significant sanctions, such as suspending the bloc's trade agreement with Israel, have remained off the table, with heavyweights Germany and Italy continuing to block the measure despite hundreds of former EU officials and diplomats demanding action.
Several countries this week, including Italy, called for sanctions on Ben-Gvir, though it remains unclear whether such a move would require support from all 27 member states.
This would follow similar moves by the UK, Australia, Canada, Norway and New Zealand, which last year slapped sanctions on Ben-Gvir and his fellow far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich.
"Even if the EU were to agree on sanctioning Ben-Gvir, it would be a far cry from what is needed to stop Israel's onslaught," von Burgsdorff said.
"Only harsh measures that exact significant political and economic costs on the Netanyahu regime stand a chance of forcing a change of Israeli government policy," he added.
"I don't think the EU is ready for that, mostly out of fear that this could open another unwanted theatre of conflict with Trump."
Amid the EU deadlock, some member states have responded to the flotilla incident with new measures against the Israeli government.
Poland has issued a visa ban on Ben-Gvir, while ministers in the Netherlands on Friday voted in favour of banning imports from Israeli settlements following similar moves in Spain and Slovenia.
Ireland, which last year began drafting its own legislation to curb trade with settlers, pledged this week to introduce it to parliament in the coming weeks.
A push for an EU-wide ban on settler trade has attracted the support of nine countries – including France, Spain and Sweden – that nonetheless falls short of the qualified majority needed to pass.
Meanwhile, Italy, France, Britain and Germany on Friday reiterated calls for an immediate end to settlement expansion and condemned Israel's approval of the E1 settlement, but stopped short of threatening action.
If built, the E1 settlement would split the West Bank in two and prevent the formation of a Palestinian state on contiguous land.