The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, announced on Sunday 16 May that an extraordinary videoconference of EU Foreign Ministers would be held on Tuesday 18 May, “in view of the ongoing escalation between Israel and Palestine and the unacceptable number of civilian casualties”.
At least 198 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, including 58 children, and 1,300 people have been injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Eight people, including a child, were killed in Israel by rockets fired by Hamas.
This Tuesday afternoon, “we will coordinate and discuss how the EU can best contribute to ending the current violence”, Mr Borrell said in a tweet.
According to the spokesperson for the European External Action Service, Peter Stano, the aim of the videoconference is to see how willing the Member States are to proceed and how the EU can best contribute to peace-making.
Asked about the possible adoption of sanctions against Israel, Mr Stano, who speaks for the European Commission, explained that to his knowledge no one had put the subject on the table. “Let’s focus on trying to de-escalate the situation, to resolve it through normal diplomatic and political means”, he added.
On 15 May, the High Representative had stated that the EU was “actively engaged” in diplomatic efforts to help defuse the violence. He met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey.
Mr Borrell also instructed the new EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Sven Koopmans, to work actively with the other envoys from the Middle East Quartet. On the ground, the EU Delegation in Tel Aviv and the EU Representation in Jerusalem are in contact with the Israeli and Palestinian authorities and representatives of Member States.
On the eve of this meeting of EU ministers and a debate in the European Parliament plenary session on the EU’s strategy towards Israel and Palestine, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Palestine, Evin Incir (S&D, Sweden), called for European unity. “We expect that the EU speak out with a united voice, not only to give its concrete contribution to finally silence the guns, but also to proactively play its crucial role to achieve a long-lasting, fair, and shared agreement based on the two-state solution”, she warned.
Asked about the destruction over the weekend of a building housing the offices of international media, including AP and Al Jazeera, Mr Stano described the incident as “extremely worrying. The safety of journalists and media staff is essential”, he explained. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)