Published: October 25th, 2024,
Last updated: November 6th, 2024

It wasn’t so long ago that Hadja Lahbib and Ursula von der Leyen were arguing about the right course. Lahbib, the Belgian Foreign Minister, stood up for the Palestinians in Gaza and lashed out against Israel. In contrast, Commission President von der Leyen always emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense. The dispute overshadowed the Belgian EU Presidency, which ended in June.