European leaders and Members of the European Parliament welcomed, on Wednesday 22 November, the agreement announced overnight between Hamas and Israel on the release of 50 Israeli hostages in return for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners and a humanitarian truce in Gaza.
“The EU welcomes the agreement to release 50 hostages from Gaza for an extended pause in the conflict. After seven weeks of suffering, finally, they will be reunited with their families. We call for the immediate release of all hostages”, stressed the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell. He said that the humanitarian pause should be used to deliver as much aid as possible to civilians suffering from the devastating war in Gaza, adding that the EU would help by providing aid.
During a debate in the plenary session of the European Parliament on the Middle East, Mr Borrell also pointed out that “every school, every hospital, every church, every mosque” are protected sites. “Unless they lose this protected site status as a result of their use for military purposes, they must be respected. If there is any doubt as to whether or not that territory or property has lost its protected status, the attacker must assume that it is still protected. He must offer proof that he has lost his condition, and he must facilitate the escape of the civilians trapped there"” he warned, a few days after the Israeli army’s intervention at Al-Shifa hospital.
Like the Presidents of the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, several MEPs welcomed the agreement, described as a “ray of hope” by Pedro Marques (S&D, Portuguese) and Jordi Solé (Greens/EFA, Spanish) during a plenary session debate on the Middle East. This agreement “must be the beginning of the end of this nightmare, which began with the Hamas attacks”, stressed Mr Marques. “It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough”, added Mr Solé.
The two MEPs called for a permanent ceasefire. “The people of Gaza know that their ordeal will soon resume. This truce cannot just be a parenthesis; we need a lasting ceasefire”, added Manon Aubry (The Left, French), recalling the death and destruction in Gaza.
Several MEPs called for greater EU involvement in the search for peace. “Peace is the only way to eradicate the ideology of Hamas in the region. (...) We must commit ourselves to a global effort for peace and a two-state solution”, explained Mr Marques. For Rasa Juknevičienė (EPP, Lithuanian), a two-state solution will not work until Israel’s neighbours agree that Hamas must not survive. “As long as Hamas exists, I find it difficult to believe in a two-state solution. Hamas must be destroyed, that is the mission of the entire democratic community”, added the MEP.
For Hilde Vautmans (Renew Europe, Belgian), if a two-state solution has been advocated for years, “what are we doing about the prospect of a two-state solution? We’re looking to the United States and Qatar, and it’s important to emphasise our role”. In her view, if the EU wants to play a geopolitical role, it needs to be reformed.
“The EU is largely absent, and bears a heavy responsibility for its inertia. Let’s play a real diplomatic role, recognise the Palestinian State and put an end to economic relations with those who deliberately kill civilians”, proposed Sabrina Pignedoli (NI, Italian). Ms Aubry questioned why no sanctions had been taken against Israel. “There is a catastrophic double standard”, she warned, drawing a parallel with Russia. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)