The divisions between the different countries of Europe over the Middle East are as old as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict itself, but the open war between Israel and Hamas following the brutal terrorist attack committed by the fundamentalist group on October 7, which cost the lives of 1,400 people and allowed them to take more than 220 hostages, and the harsh response of the Jewish State army in Gaza forces the Twenty-Seven to position themselves and today they will seek an agreement on a common declaration that will help alleviate the humanitarian situation in the strip.
While some countries, such as Spain, Sweden or Ireland, support the call for a “ceasefire”, others, led by Germany and the Czech Republic, are reluctant to support anything that limits in any way Israel’s right to defend itself and They are reluctant even to the idea of ??calling for a “humanitarian pause.” They talk about, at most, asking to open “humanitarian windows” that, in a timely manner, allow basic supplies to reach this territory, where according to the United Nations since the Israeli offensive began, more than 5,000 people have died, 62%. of them, women and children. The Hamas Ministry of Health raises the figure to 6,500 deaths.
“The letters, the commas, the words matter,” reply European diplomatic sources when asked about the semantic nature of the European debates in the face of a reality as brutal as the one currently experienced in the Palestinian territories. “This is how agreements are reached. Words serve to position oneself in the face of reality,” they add. The ultimate goal of the European Union is to contribute to the access of the population of Gaza to humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians, so that everything is done “by the rules.” But “how it is achieved, whether it is with a pause or something else, it does not matter,” the sources underline a few hours before the start of the European Council meeting.
The latest draft of the summit’s conclusions, to which La Vanguardia has had access, includes the call for a “humanitarian pause.” After evoking the common position agreed on October 15, which condemns “in the strongest terms” the terrorist attack committed by Hamas and recognizes “Israel’s right to defend itself” but “in line with international law and international humanitarian law” , the text highlights the “deep concern” of the Twenty-Seven about the deterioration of the situation in Gaza. The European Council “calls for continued, rapid and uninterrupted access” for humanitarian aid so that it can reach those who need it, “through all possible measures, including a humanitarian pause.”
All the delegations consulted are confident that an agreement will be reached but the starting positions are divergent. Just yesterday, however, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared through his spokesperson that “pretending to make peace or establish a ceasefire is not appropriate for the current situation.” Berlin’s preference, he recalled, is to propose the opening of “humanitarian advantages.” Other European delegations warn, however, that the mitigated European reaction to the precarious humanitarian situation in the strip undermines its moral authority in the Arab countries of the region.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, yesterday demanded “unity” from European leaders in the face of the complicated international panorama they face. “We face very complex geopolitical challenges and we understand that in these difficult times it is extremely important to stay together, to be united, to coordinate as much as we can,” he declared at the press conference held at the end of the tripartite social summit held yesterday in Brussels, organized together with the Spanish presidency of the Council and with the participation of European union and employer representatives.
The draft conclusions also evoke the need to “prevent a regional escalation” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and advocate working with all actors, “including the Palestinian Authority”, to contribute to this objective. “The EU is ready to contribute to reviving the political process on the basis of the two-state solution” and supports the launch of initiatives such as the peace summit organized by Egypt to contribute to this objective.
“Our meeting comes at a time of great instability and global insecurity, exacerbated by recent events in the Middle East”, which require the attention of the EU but which must not “distract us from our constant support for Ukraine”, warns President Michel in the letter of invitation to the summit, thus echoing the concern or risk evoked by different European delegations since the conflict escalated. On the agenda, among other issues, is the review of the EU’s multi-annual budgetary framework to provide macro-financial assistance to Kyiv during 2024.
