The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced, on Tuesday 12 March, the de facto opening of the humanitarian maritime corridor between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip. That very morning, the ship belonging to the Spanish NGO Open Arms had left the Cypriot port of Larnaca with some 200 tonnes of water and food to be distributed to the Gaza population by the NGO World Central Kitchen.
“This maritime corridor is the result of unprecedented international cooperation, under the leadership of the [Cypriot] President, Nikos Christodoulides. We have worked hand in hand, not only with Cyprus, but also with the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom”, Ms von der Leyen told the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, stressing that this was the first humanitarian supply to the Palestinians by sea since 2005.
Ms von der Leyen said she hoped that this 370km-long maritime corridor could guarantee a “sustained, regulated and robust” flow of aid to Gaza. As the Gaza Strip has no seaport, unloading deliveries by sea is logistically limited, pending a “floating port” announced by the United States at the beginning of March (see EUROPE 13367/3), which could take up to 60 days to build.
“Until this is ready, we work with smaller ships. The United Arab Emirates and other partners will co-finance the cargo. Cyprus will manage the departures at the port of Larnaca. And we, the European Union, will step up our logistical support on the ground. An EU coordination team is in Cyprus. And we will finance and coordinate the flow of European goods through this corridor”, explained the President of the Commission.
In addition, while several European Parliament political groups called on Tuesday for a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza (see other news), the Commission has activated the Civil Protection Mechanism to reinforce EU support for the airdrop of aid set up by certain EU countries. Ms von der Leyen encouraged all Member States to contribute by sending parachutes and containers.
Famine as a weapon of war
In New York, in a speech to the United Nations Security Council, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, also called for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, stressing that 500,000 people were “on the brink of starvation”. “We are faced with a population struggling to survive, and humanitarian aid must reach Gaza. The EU is working as hard as possible to achieve this objective”, he said.
“Famine is used as a weapon of war. When we condemn what is happening in Ukraine, we should use the same terms for what is happening in Gaza”, he stressed, reiterating his doubts about Israel’s full compliance with international (humanitarian) law.
Mr Borrell pointed out that this humanitarian crisis was not natural, but man-made. “When we look for alternatives to deliver aid, by air or sea, we have to remember that we have to do so because the land route is artificially closed”, he added, while the Hebrew state is blocking access to Gaza.
The High Representative pointed out that the situation in Gaza was only the tip of the iceberg. He once again called for work towards a two-state solution. “We have to admit it: we have never seriously tried to turn it into a concrete reality”, he explained. In his view, the UN Security Council should adopt a unanimous resolution endorsing the two-state solution and outlining the principles leading to it.
“The EU is ready to cooperate” on this solution, which is the only viable way of resolving the conflict. According to Mr Borrell, three principles should guide action: - a clear separation between the two states; - safety to ensure that the tragedy of 7 October cannot happen again; - and finally, the principle of regional integration, in which Israel and Palestine will have a place. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit and Camille-Cerise Gessant)