The European Union has been iffy on the situation in Palestine ever since war broke out almost two years ago. 

While continued condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been (with the exception of Russophile Viktor Orban's Hungary) near universal, the bloc and its leadership have been bitterly divided over how to approach Israel's increasingly more disproportionate response to a Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been among those receiving flak for the response - or lack thereof - to the humanitarian crisis and genocide that has developed in Gaza over the past months.

But in her State of the Union speech earlier this week, von der Leyen presented a much different tone on the matter.  She said she would seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over the war in Gaza, an announcement that marked a sharp turnaround for Ursula von der Leyen, a longtime supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Von der Leyen also said she plans to freeze support to Israel given by the European Union's executive branch, which would not require the approval of the 27 member countries. "We will put our bilateral support to Israel on hold. We will stop all payments in these areas, without affecting our work with Israeli civil society or Yad Vashem," the Holocaust memorial, von der Leyen told EU lawmakers.

Soon after, the European Parliament approved a resolution which condemns Israel's humanitarian blockade in Gaza and calls for urgent EU action on the situation in Palestine. The Parliament expressed grave alarm at Gaza's "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis, strongly condemning the Israeli government's obstruction of humanitarian aid, which is engineering a famine in Northern Gaza, and calls for all relevant border crossings to be opened.

MEPs demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The Parliament condemned in the strongest possible terms the "barbaric crimes" committed by Hamas against Israel and calls for concrete sanctions against the terrorist group, but also said that Israel's right to defend itself cannot justify indiscriminate military action in Gaza.

It seems like as public sentiment is turning against Israel, so are attitude at the top echelons in Europe.

There is still some politics at play.  For example, in the European Parliament resolution, the EPP managed to avoid the situation in Gaza being declared a "genocide" and cut any mentions of the situation there being a "man-made famine."  Sections of the text that condemned the Commission and EU governments for lack of action were also removed from the resolution.

Meanwhile, as the tiresome politicking goes on, civilians continue to be indiscriminately killed by Israeli missiles.  Israel continues to starve civilians to death, to kill journalists, to bomb hospitals, to kill children.

It's taken two years for the European Commission and European institutions to start to stir from their slumber on this situation.  Two years too long.

It remains to be seen whether this slow change of tack will result in any tangible action that can at least help in saving those who can be saved.