The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen kicked off the first post-summer break European Parliament plenary session with her State of the European Union speech, rallying for an independent Europe and calling on Israel for its action in Gaza. Von der Leyen called the current situation “Europe’s independence moment”, vowing to engage on its own terms on numerous challenges and be more autonomous in strategic areas, from energy to new technologies. For the first time, von der Leyen also mentioned the possibility of sanctions against Israel due to its ongoing escalation in Gaza. More unequivocally, von der Leyen pointed at member states for the inaction of the EU. Von der Leyen announced that the Commission will push what it can on its own, including putting bilateral support to Israel on hold.