EU leaders plan to demand ‘sustainable cease-fire’ in Gaza

They are also set to urge Israel to “refrain from a ground operation in Rafah,” where more than a million Palestinians have fled amid Israel’s ongoing military assault. The Israeli government’s plan to enter the city, on the southern border of the Gaza Strip, has caused tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his key Western ally, U.S. President Joe Biden.

“Immediate measures should be taken to prevent any further population displacement and provide safe shelter to the population,” the draft reads.

Leaders will also call for “restraint in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” and “strongly” condemn “extremist settler violence.”

The draft conclusions echo European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s call during a European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday morning.

“The people of Gaza need an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable cease-fire,” von der Leyen told MEPs. “And they need it now.”

At October’s European Council summit, leaders discussed for hours over the language on the situation in the Middle East, debating whether to agree on a call for a humanitarian pause (singular) or pauses (plural).

EU diplomats are expecting Hungary, which was the only EU country to refuse to sign up to a statement on Israel-Gaza last month, to be the main blocker on this issue.