While the ministers of foreign affairs were divided, on Monday 23 October, over whether to call for a humanitarian ceasefire or a humanitarian pause in Gaza, the European leaders could, on Thursday 26 October, support UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call “for a humanitarian pause in order to allow for safe humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need”, according to draft European Council conclusions dated 22 October.
At the end of the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council in Luxembourg, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said that “the ministers have clearly understood that a pause is needed to help humanitarian aid, otherwise humanitarian aid will be a target, a victim of military activities”. He added that it would be up to the European Council to define the EU’s position on the subject.
The High Representative considered that a humanitarian pause was necessary to allow humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza and be distributed, but also to help with the return of the Israeli hostages.
When they arrived at the EU Council, the ministers were divided on whether to take such a break or call for a ceasefire. Several ministers have given their support. “The degree of suffering - innocent civilians in Gaza are suffering - it’s not acceptable at all and in our view that’s why we believe a humanitarian pause is required to, at a minimum, get aid and supplies in”, stressed Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michael Martin. Slovenia’s Tanja Fajon called for a humanitarian ceasefire to establish humanitarian corridors and allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians.
For Luxembourg’s Jean Asselborn, a humanitarian pause would be welcome. “We must do everything possible to recover the hostages and, above all, to ensure that the people living in Gaza can be safe before the military operation begins”, he stressed.
For his part, the Czech minister, Jan Lipavský, questioned the feasibility of such a ceasefire. “A terrorist organisation controls Gaza, sending rockets every day and perpetrated barbarous attacks in Israeli territory. So the question is how such a ceasefire should be established”, he pointed out.
Similarly, Italy’s Antonio Tajani said that Israel could not be told “to stop defending itself when Hamas fires missiles at its cities”.
“It’s not an easy situation at all. There is no black or white solution”, summed up their Latvian counterpart, Krisjanis Karins, while for Germany’s Annalena Baerbock, who stressed that the fight against terrorism was essential, as was alleviating “the incredible suffering of the 2 million people in Gaza”, it’s “squaring the circle”. “But we have to square this circle together”, she advocated.
Support for humanitarian aid
Whatever their position on a ceasefire, the ministers gave their support to the arrival of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
“On the first day, 20 trucks were authorised to enter (Gaza). On Sunday, there were around twenty more. But in normal times, without war, 100 trucks would enter Gaza every day. So it’s clear that 20 trucks is not enough”, said Mr Borrell.
He explained that the ministers were also in favour of allowing fuel into Gaza to run the power stations and desalination plants, pointing out that without water and electricity, hospitals can barely function.
“It is important [to bring] more, quicker and in particular to enter the basic things that allow water and electricity supplies to be restored”, insisted the head of European diplomacy. The ministers also agreed that financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) should continue.
The Austrian minister, Alexander Schallenberg, nevertheless claimed that it was necessary to ensure that the trucks were actually delivering humanitarian aid.
Relaunching the political process
The foreign ministers stressed the importance of avoiding regional escalation. “The risks (of an escalation) are there, which is why we are working to ensure that this does not become a reality, so diplomatic action is essential”, stressed Mr Tajani. His Cypriot counterpart, Konstantínos Kómbos, added that “there is an urgent need for de-escalation, with a view to creating a political horizon for a two-state solution”, adding that in this period of war, it was necessary to “seek the light”.
The EU Council also called for the political process to be relaunched. “We must not lose sight of the final objective: a two-state solution”, said Mr Borrell, announcing that the ministers had decided that the EU should commit itself to relaunching the political process.
In his view, following the events of October, the objectives of the initiative launched in New York in September are no longer up to scratch (see EUROPE 13253/30). “We have to raise the bar in terms of our ambitions, and to do that we will have to work with our colleagues in the Arab countries to see what parameters are possible for a political process that will enable us to break this cycle of violence”, explained the High Representative.
For Ms Baerbock, “Israelis and Palestinians can only live in peace and security, free from terrorism and human suffering, with a two-state solution. Although it may seem a long way off these days, it’s important to start thinking about it now so that we can look forward to tomorrow”.
The Spanish minister, José Manuel Albares, called on the EU to support an international peace conference “that paves the way for a Palestinian state coexisting in good neighbourliness, security and definitive peace with the State of Israel”.
To see the draft conclusions of the European Council: https://aeur.eu/f/97p (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)