On Saturday 14 October, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, called for a virtual summit of Heads of State or Government to be held this Tuesday to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
This should enable the leaders to hold strategic discussions on short- and medium-term actions and on the next steps, explained a European source.
On Sunday 15 October, in a declaration “that sets the EU’s common position”, European leaders reiterated “Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law in the face of such violent and indiscriminate attacks” as those carried out by Hamas on 7 October.
Protecting civilians and providing them with the necessary humanitarian aid
“We reiterate the importance [of ensuring] the protection of all civilians at all times in line with International Humanitarian Law”, added the EU27, as Israel prepares a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip and continues to bombard the densely populated enclave of over 2 million inhabitants.
This statement comes two days after the much-criticised visit by the President of the European Commission to Israel, who, having emphasised Israel’s right to defend itself, failed to mention the need to respect international law while doing so (see EUROPE 13271/2).
According to a European source, all the Member States have criticised the President for travelling to Israel without prior consultation. A source at the Elysée Palace pointed out that Ms von der Leyen had visited Israel in her capacity as President of the European Commission and had spoken in that capacity. “The position of the EU Member States was expressed in particular by the Council, in this case by Mr Borrell, after the debate between the Member States”, she added (see EUROPE 13268/2).
Tripling of humanitarian aid
In their declaration, the Member States reaffirmed the importance of providing emergency humanitarian aid and expressed their readiness to continue to support civilians most in need in Gaza, in coordination with their partners, “while ensuring that such assistance is not abused by terrorist organisations”. The humanitarian situation will be one of the topics of discussion at their informal meeting.
“The tragic scenes in the Gaza Strip resulting from the siege and the lack of basic needs combined with the destruction brought by significant shelling, are raising alarm bells in the international community”, emphasised Mr Michel in his letter of invitation to European leaders.
“The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza is about to reach breaking point. Desperately needed fuel, water, food and medicine must reach people trapped in Gaza immediately. The Rafah border crossing must be opened without further delay”, stressed the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Janez Lenarčič, while the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, felt that the United Nations should be granted unhindered access to and throughout Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. “Human suffering cannot be a bargaining chip”, he warned.
On Saturday, the European Commission announced that it was tripling its humanitarian aid to Gaza. “The Commission will immediately increase the current humanitarian aid package for Gaza by €50 million. This will bring the total to over €75 million”, announced Ms von der Leyen after a telephone conversation with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. She said that the EU would continue to work closely with the UN and its agencies to ensure that this aid reaches those who need it in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, the Commission also announced the launch of a humanitarian airlift operation consisting of several flights to Egypt to deliver essential supplies to humanitarian organisations on the ground in Gaza. “The first two flights will take place this week and will carry UNICEF humanitarian supplies, including shelters, medicines and hygiene kits”, she said in her statement, adding that other emergency items from EU emergency stocks were available and ready to be deployed to humanitarian partners as soon as they requested them.
Call for immediate and unconditional release of hostages
In their joint statement, the leaders also called on Hamas to immediately release all the hostages “without any precondition”, condemning the attacks carried out by the terrorist group and reiterating that nothing can justify terror. According to the Israeli government, Hamas has 199 hostages.
According to a European source, European leaders may consider the Israeli Prime Minister’s request for sanctions against countries hosting Hamas members or having diplomatic contacts with the terrorist group. They suggested that punishing those who talk to Hamas could complicate the discussions to free the hostages.
Avoiding a regional conflagration
European leaders also stressed the need to prevent regional escalation. This weekend saw gunfire on the border with Lebanon.
“We underline the need to engage broadly with the legitimate Palestinian authorities as well as regional and international partners who could have a positive role to play in preventing further escalation”, they explained.
The Europeans also expressed their commitment to a lasting peace based on a two-state solution, by redoubling their efforts in the Middle East peace process.
Ongoing efforts to avoid a regional escalation of the conflict will also be discussed at the informal European Council. Some European leaders may also call for a ceasefire.
Assessing the consequences in the EU
Beyond the situation on the ground, the informal summit should enable the leaders to discuss the consequences of the crisis within the EU, in terms of security and migration.
“The conflict could have major security consequences for our societies. If we are not careful, it has the potential to exacerbate tensions between communities and feed extremism”, warned Mr Michel in his letter of invitation.
The EU27 are also invited to discuss the “major risk of migration and movements of a large number of people to neighbouring countries which already have a significant number of refugees on their territory”. “If not handled carefully, there is a risk of onward migratory waves to Europe”, explained the President of the European Council.
“The leaders must be aware of this factor”, said a European source, recalling the heavy migratory pressure already being experienced by the countries neighbouring Palestine and Israel, and questioning the capacity of these countries to cope with the risk of additional arrivals and the assistance that the EU could provide.
The informal summit could be an opportunity for the leaders to ask their home affairs and foreign affairs ministers, who are meeting in Luxembourg on 20 and 23 October respectively, to work on various aspects of the crisis with a view to taking stock at the European Council meeting on 26 and 27 October.
To see Mr Michel’s letter of invitation, go to https://aeur.eu/f/92f
To see the directors’ statement, go to https://aeur.eu/f/92l (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)