On Tuesday, 22 October, members of the European Parliament debated the urgency of a ceasefire in Lebanon and protection for the UN mission in the southern part of the country, following the Israeli army’s recent attacks against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) (see EUROPE 13508/2). While the conflict in Gaza has already resulted in nearly 42,000 deaths, 2,500 people have lost their lives in Lebanon.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič stressed the importance of UNIFIL’s “stabilisation role”, which he deemed “essential for Lebanon and for Israel”, particularly in the furtherance of a ceasefire.
MEP Nicolás Pascual de la Parte (EPP, Spanish) stressed the need to step up the EU’s diplomatic efforts. “We have to demand the disarmament and dissolution [of Hezbollah]”, he asserted, calling for the safety of UN personnel to be ensured as well.
“UN peacekeepers cannot be targeted, and the secretary-general of the United Nations cannot be treated this way”, stated Yannis Maniatis (S&D, Greek), even though António Guterres had been declared “persona non grata” in Israel at the beginning of October.
For Patriots for Europe leader Jordan Bardella (French), peace in the region “can only be achieved when Lebanon regains full sovereignty over its territory [and is] free of Islamist control”.
Several MEPs—from the centre to the far left of the chamber—denounced an EU’s responsibility in the current conflict.
Irene Montero (The Left, Spanish) notably declared, “The EU is supporting genocide. If Europe stopped the arms transfers and terminated the association agreement, the results would be different, and there would not be so many deaths caused by Israel”.
Going even further, Irena Joveva (Renew Europe, Slovenian) said, “We need to cease support for Israel, cease weapons supply, and cease our trade deals, and only then, [will we] have ceasefire.” Speaking on behalf of the Greens/EFA, Mounir Satouri (French) added, “We Europeans cannot [...] stand idly by when faced with regional conflagration”.
Mr Lenarčič emphasised that any military cooperation between EU Member States and third countries, including Israel, does not fall within the EU’s competence. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)