[News] ‘Not Our War’: Europe Resists as Netanyahu Urges World Leaders to Join War on Iran

[Anti-Imperialist News]

palestinechronicle.com
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/not-our-war-europe-resists-as-netanyahu-urges-world-leaders-to-join-war-on-iran/>
‘Not Our War’: Europe Resists as Netanyahu Urges World Leaders to Join War
on IranMarch 23, 2026
------------------------------
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly called on world leaders
to join the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran. (Photos: video
grab, wikimedia. Design: Palestine Chronicle)

*By Palestine Chronicle Staff
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/writers/palestine-chronicle-staff>*

Washington and Tel Aviv intensify pressure on European allies, but
resistance grows as leaders reject involvement in an open-ended war.

*Key Takeaways*

   - European leaders are refusing military participation, repeatedly
   stating the war “is not our war” and lacks clear objectives.
   - US and Israeli officials are escalating rhetoric, warning of global
   threats and urging allies to join operations.
   - Strategic divergence is widening, with Europe pursuing de-escalation
   and independent maritime plans outside US command.

*US and Israel Escalate Pressure*

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly called on world leaders
to join the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran, framing Tehran as
a global threat.

“If you want proof that Iran endangers the entire world, the last 48 hours
have proved it,” Netanyahu claimed on Sunday, pointing to missile strikes
in the city of Arad, in the Naqab (Negev desert).

Just one day earlier, on Saturday, Israeli military leadership had
amplified the sense of urgency and scale.

Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared that Israel is
“about halfway through” its campaign. Zamir sought to internationalize the
threat, warning that Iran’s missile capabilities extend beyond Israel.

“Their range reaches the capitals of Europe — Berlin, Paris, and Rome are
all within direct threat range,” he said, referencing a reported Iranian
missile launch toward the US-UK base at Diego Garcia.

The claim followed a report by the Wall Street Journal on Friday that two
intermediate-range ballistic missiles had been fired toward the base,
though neither struck it.

Diego Garcia is one of two bases the United Kingdom has authorized the
United States to use in its ongoing campaign against Iran.

The reported incident drew particular attention because the base is located
roughly 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) from Iran—double the 2,000-kilometer
range limit that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously said Tehran had
voluntarily imposed on its missile operations.

A senior Iranian official, however, told Al-Jazeera on Sunday that Tehran
was neither responsible for nor involved in any missile attack on the base.

Parallel pressure on Europe has come from Washington. US President Donald
Trump has urged allies to join efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz,
warning of consequences for transatlantic relations.

According to the US-based news outlet Politico
<https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-donald-trump-strait-of-hormuz-war-iran/>,
last week, Trump cautioned it would be “very bad for the future of NATO” if
European countries failed to respond.
*‘This is Not Our War’*

Despite mounting pressure, European leaders have responded with unusual
clarity and consistency in rejecting involvement.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz openly questioned the rationale behind the
war.

“To this day, there is no convincing plan for how this operation could
succeed,” he told lawmakers on Wednesday, adding that “Washington has not
consulted us and did not say European assistance was necessary,” as
reported by Reuters news agency.

Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was even more direct on Monday,
March 10: “This is not our war, we have not started it.”

Similar positions have been echoed across Europe. French President Emmanuel
Macron stated on March 13, “We are not party to the conflict,” while EU
foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized on March 17 that “Europe has no
interest in an open-ended war.”

According to Politico, Kallas reiterated that “this is not Europe’s war,”
even if she said that “Europe’s interests are directly at stake.”

European governments have also rejected specific US requests, particularly
regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

After internal discussions in Brussels on March 17, EU foreign ministers
declined to expand the mandate of the Aspides naval mission to include
military patrols in the strait. Kallas confirmed that “there was no
appetite from the member states” to take such a step.

The reluctance is not only political but also rooted in public opinion. For
example, polling published in mid-March and cited by Reuters shows
majorities in countries like Spain and Germany opposing the war,
reinforcing governments’ decisions to stay out of direct military
engagement.

*(PC, Israeli media, Reuters, Politico)*
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