Western leaders have become more vocal than before in voicing their concerns over the situation in Gaza. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday (link in German) that the harm being done to Gaza's civilian population can no longer be justified by the fight against Hamas terrorism.

According to Politico, France is meanwhile lobbying the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium to jointly recognize Palestinian statehood.

A similar debate is underway in Finland as well. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said last week (link in Finnish) that recognizing Palestinian statehood is only a matter of time, and that if major powers do so, it would be good for Finland to be on the right side of history.

"Right now, we're talking about how to ensure basic humanitarian aid in Gaza at all," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200). "We're very far from the emergence of a two-state solution. There's no discussion in Estonia, nor is there pressure from other countries, to recognize Palestine as a state."

Although Estonia does not recognize Palestinian statehood, it was among 142 UN member states to urge the UN Security Council (UNSC) a year ago to grant Palestine full UN membership status.

Kristi Karelsohn, director of the MFA's Department of Asia, the Pacific Region and the Middle East, said that since there are simply so many discussions about Palestine within the organization, it would be good if the Palestinians themselves had a seat at the table.

Since March, Israel has blockaded the delivery of humanitarian aid — food, water and medicine — into the Gaza Strip, citing fears the aid might reach Hamas terrorists.

Although Israel has since eased its blockade, interim UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Sigrid Kaag noted that the limited aid Israel is finally permitting in is "comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk," warning that "the entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine."

On Wednesday, ERR reported, for example, that according to the UN World Food Program (WFP), hordes of starving people broke into a WFP food warehouse in Central Gaza. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, or Gaza Health Ministry (GHM), more than 54,000 people have died in Israel's air and ground offensive.

At the MFA, Karelsohn said that international pressure on Israel has nonetheless yielded some results.

"That very decision made by the Israeli government last week to end the total blockade — such small steps have occurred," she noted.

The Estonian ministry official believes international pressure on Israel has been sufficient thus far, noting that several Western leaders have made strong statements regarding Israel.

Tsahkna, however, said that the humanitarian aid Israel is allowing into Gaza is still insufficient.

"These [aid] volumes are limited, and the terms for delivering humanitarian aid are inadequate," the foreign minister acknowledged. "People are forced to travel dozens and dozens of kilometers under extremely harsh conditions. There's still a lot that could actually be done better. Israel is under pressure not only from the EU, but more broadly. Everyone understands that in the 21st century, people cannot be dying of hunger and thirst."

EU reviewing trade and cooperation agreement with Israel

At the request of the Netherlands, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic service led by Kaja Kallas, has launched a thorough process to assess whether Israel's actions in Gaza have violated its broad trade and cooperation agreement with the EU — known as an association agreement.

Namely, the EU-Israel Association Agreement includes clauses stipulating that relations between Israel and the EU are "based on respect for human rights."

"Once we see the analysis from the EEAS, we can assess what we think of it," Karelsohn said.

If enough EU member states agree in a qualified majority vote, it would be possible to suspend certain elements of the agreement.

For example, it would be possible to suspend Israel's participation in the Horizon research funding program, through which Israeli researchers and companies received more than €1.1 billion in research grants between 2021 and 2024.

Estonia was one of 17 EU member states that supported the review of the association agreement. Euronews reported that Germany, Italy and Lithuania, for example, opposed the idea.

According to the Estonian foreign minister, the entire review process of the agreement is an opportunity to put pressure on Israel.

He also plans to raise the humanitarian situation in Gaza during a visit to Israel next month, where he also intends to meet with the Israeli foreign minister.

"Our relations with Israel have historically been very strong and good," Tsahkna said. "We also want, as a reliable partner — and, you could even say, friend — to very concretely and directly call attention to the issues on which we disagree as well."

Estonia still interest in Israeli air defense system

Last month, ERR reported that Estonia has decided to develop defense capabilities against ballistic missiles, which will likely mean an investment of more than €1 billion.

In addition to U.S. and French-Italian air defense systems, Estonia is also considering the Israeli-produced David's Sling, which saw its first trial by fire in Israel's war in Gaza. In fall 2023, Finland signed a deal to strengthen its air defenses with Israeli products.

In March, ERR also reported that Estonia is looking to acquire a system to complement the U.S.-manufactured M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), and among the options being considered is the Precise & Universal Launching System (PULS) made by Israel's Elbit Systems.

Peeter Kuimet, director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Defense, said that while various approaches exist across Europe, defense cooperation is generally kept separate from other aspects of foreign policy.

"There are also countries that, as part of a broader political context, have restricted other forms of defense cooperation," he noted. "Estonia is not one of them. I also see no need for us to start mixing these two matters."

Kuimet said that Israel is a relatively important partner for Estonia in defense, adding that the Ministry of Defense anticipates this will remain the case going forward as well.

"Over the years, Estonia has quite clearly recognized Israel as practically the only democratic country in the region, and we also recognize Israel's right to self-defense," he said.

Ministry sees much to learn from Israel in several areas

According to Kuimet, Israel has an advantage in defense procurements because, like South Korea or Singapore, they have a robust defense industry and their defense spending is high.

"Like Estonia, they also have a large reserve army, which allows them to quickly produce weapons or weapons systems with good value for money and rapid delivery times," he explained. "These [systems] are often also designed specifically for use by reservists. Meaning by the primary clientele, if you will, of Estonian procurements as well."

More than €300 million worth of such procurements have come from Israel over the past decade, he added.

Beyond weapons procurements, the Defense Ministry believes Estonia could learn from Israel in other areas as well.

Kuimet explained that Estonia is clearly interested in sharing experiences regarding how Israel has built up its national defense system in a small country located in a very complex geostrategic environment — just like Estonia.

He said Estonia is interested in learning and comparing how Israel has organized its comprehensive national defense and civil crisis preparedness, but also how it has structured certain aspects of its conscription and reserve duty as well as its mobilization system.

"Military medicine is another topic where Israel is a relatively advanced and interesting country," the Estonian ministry official continued.

Estonia is also interested in cooperation in the defense industry as well, he added.

Interior minister briefed on Israeli civil defense practices

While the MFA is organizing the foreign minister's visit to Israel next month, Minister of the Interior Igor Taro (Eesti 200) returned from Jerusalem on Thursday. On his visit, Taro attended the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism organized by Israel's own foreign ministry.

According to an Interior Ministry spokesperson, this week's conference focused primarily on the role of education in preventing antisemitism, but also addressed issues related to digital development.

"New technological solutions such as social media platforms, artificial intelligence (AI) and the use of algorithms enable the targeting of hate propaganda, and in its broadest sense, this constitutes a new and serious threat to democratic society and its core values," the ministry spokesperson noted.

"The hate, conspiracy theories and anger spread on social media platforms are increasingly manifesting in violent ways in the real world," they continued. "This can only be countered through shared values and cooperation between the state and its citizens."

The spokesperson added that the interior minister's recent visit involved a packed itinerary in terms of civil and border defense.

"Border settlements are being visited in connection with lessons learned regarding the use of shelters and sirens during the October 7 attacks," the Estonian ministry said. "Meetings are being held with Israel's Home Front Command, and they are learning about the civil protection methods in use, such as alert systems for various types of threats in the country."

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