To many fellow Europeans, the “old grandpa shouting at the clouds” is perceived to be some other entity.

Sympathies translate into trade policy, arms embargoes, diplomatic recognition, and votes at international bodies. The idea that soft power is meaningless because it isn't a missile is a contradiction in terms. Europe is Israel's largest trade partner. That's not nothing.

Also, "there is no international law" is a strange argument to make in defense of a country that spends enormous resources lobbying international institutions and running influence ops in allied democracies. If none of it mattered, why bother?