Despite its pretence of having a common position on the Middle East, the EU includes a spectrum of sometimes competing analyses and allegiances. Photograph: iStock Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s description of the Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza as resembling “something approaching revenge” confirms Ireland’s position as the most pro-Palestinian EU country – and also underlines the lack of a unified EU policy towards the conflict. Varadkar’s comments – while he was careful to lay responsibility for the current bloody phase of the conflict with Hamas – represent the nearest the Irish Government has come to condemning Israeli actions in the...