EU issues fresh statement amid divisions on Israel crisis
The European Union has issued a fresh statement on the situation in the Middle East, as it seeks to project a united front on the issue after a week of mixed-messaging.
In a statement issued Sunday evening, the 27 leaders of the EU member states condemned “in the strongest possible terms Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel.”
But the statement also addressed the situation in Gaza, stressing the importance of “the provision of urgent humanitarian aid” and the need to help citizens most in need in the Gaza Strip.
The statement, issued by European Council President Charles Michel following consultations with EU capitals over the weekend, comes ahead of a special summit of EU leaders which has been called for Tuesday.
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A number of EU citizens have been taken hostage in the conflict. And other EU citizens are in the Gaza Strip.
The European Union has been struggling to formulate a united policy position since last week’s attack by Hamas.
The EU commissioner responsible for enlargement announced on Monday that all Palestinian aid would be suspended, only for the EU to clarify later that the aid in fact would not be halted but put under review.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has also been at odds with statements from the European Commission since the crisis began, taking a more critical stance on the activities of the Israeli government than either European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen or European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Von der Leyen or Metsola visited Israel on Friday to pay tribute to the victims of the Hamas attack, which has claimed the lives of more than 1,300 people in Israel.
But they have received some push-back for failing to publicly call for restraint by Israel as it launches an attack on Gaza. In contrast, EU foreign ministers earlier last week stressed the need for restraint and called for food, water and medicines to be allowed into Gaza as well as condemning the Hamas attack.
The EU’s executive arm announced Saturday that it will increase its humanitarian funding to Gaza from €25 million to €75 million. The announcement was made following a phone call Saturday between von der Leyen and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who has been one of the leading international figures calling for restraint from Israel in response to the Hamas attack.