2023-10-26 10:05:01
In diplomacy, semantics matter and in the case of a conflict as divisive as that between Israel and Palestine, which does not even bring the international community to an agreement, even more so. The heads of State and Government of the European Union meet this Thursday and Friday in Brussels with the war in the Middle East as the highlight of the agenda – without forgetting Ukraine either -, aware of the seriousness and growing deterioration of the situation humanitarian and willing to seek a consensus formula to make possible the delivery of the most basic aid – food, water, medicine and fuel – to the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip without angering Israel.
The request for a “ceasefire” seems discarded at this time. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, already warned this last Monday during the preparatory debate of the foreign ministers in Luxembourg. This option would imply a permanent agreement, that Israel does not defend itself from the attacks of the terrorist organization Hamas. Something unthinkable at this time for the Government of Binyamin Netanyahu and for European partners such as Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy and Germany, which insist on placing emphasis above all on the right of Israel to defend yourself.
Pese a la serious humanitarian catastrophe -the Frenchman Emmanuel Macron, the Czech Petr Fiala, the Austrian Karl Nehammer or the German Olaf Scholz will be able to report on their visit to Israel- the request for a “humanitarian ceasefire” defended by the Secretary General of the United Nations has not taken hold either. , the Portuguese Antonio Guterres, and supported by countries such as Luxembourg, Belgium or Spain, so that aid arrives “in a systematic, permanent and proportionate manner”, as claimed this Wednesday by the acting President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. “It is urgent and imperative that there be a ceasefire and a humanitarian ceasefire so that the urgent entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza can be allowed in a systematic, permanent and proportionate manner to the extraordinary needs of the Palestinian population,” the socialist leader insisted. .
The Israeli Army carries out a brief tank raid in the Gaza Strip
A pause or pauses
Hence the formula of commitment to the “humanitarian pause” included in the draft conclusions negotiated by the Twenty-Seven and that a priori could satisfy a majority of delegations, also France, the Netherlands or Denmark, for example. The declaration, which has yet to be finalized, echoes the “great concern” over the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and calls for “a continued, rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access and that help reaches those who need it through all necessary measures, including a humanitarian pause.” This is a “less ambitious” objective that does not yet generate a total consensus.
Countries like Austria or Germany still want to spin things more finely and privilege the formula of “humanitarian windows” or “humanitarian pauses” in the plural, to mean that The break must be something brief and limited in time and very specific, which does not call into question the right of Israelis to defend themselves. How can the EU be fighting over comas when there are hospitals without electricity? “The letters, the commas, the words, the phrases are important. It is how agreements are found in the end. From our perspective, what matters is that there is humanitarian access and helping those who need it, whether they are in Israel or Gaza,” defends a senior European official on a “emotional”, “sensitive” and “difficult” debate.
The UN Security Council is blocked again and two resolutions on the crisis in Gaza are rejected
“In the draft I saw yesterday it was in the singular but I’m not sure if it will remain in the singular. But what is the difference?” asks another European diplomat, minimizing the fact that it represents a problem. “All Member States seek to ensure continuous and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid, water and electricity, without it being contradictory to Israel’s right to combat terrorism“, says a second diplomat who does not rule out another formulation to reach that same conclusion and ensure that aid can pass through the Rafah crossing, on the border with Egypt. Macron, for example, announced this Wednesday the sending of a Navy ship with supplies for hospitals that he believes should be able to enter “without restrictions.”
Beyond the semantic debate on how to ask Israel to stop bombing Gaza to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, the intention of the Twenty-Seven – on the basis of the declaration agreed on October 15 – is to condemn the Hamas attacks, ask the release of all hostages “without preconditions”, reiterate Israel’s right to defend itself, taking into account international law and humanitarian law, avoid a regional escalation in the Middle East and attempt to revive the Middle East peace process on the basis of a two-state solution. “Our responsibility is stay united and be consistent”says the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in his letter of invitation to the summit.
Support for Ukraine
The EU leaders will also try to dispel any doubts about their unwavering support for Ukraine and proof of this is the 14 paragraphs they dedicate in the draft conclusions of the summit in which President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate, again by videoconference. That is, half of the conclusions document finalized by European leaders is dedicated to Ukraine. “It shows that this remains a top priority. I don’t see any fatigue in Ukraine. On the contrary, we have been discussing (the situation) every two weeks,” diplomatic sources insist in a message repeated in other delegations.
The meeting will serve to review all the lines of work open to support Kiev from a financial, political, humanitarian and military point of view and to reiterate the “unwavering support” of the UE “for as long as necessary”, Michel points out in his letter. On the table will be the new round of sanctions that the European Commission has begun to prepare and the use of frozen Russian assets to support the reconstruction of the country, a “delicate” issue that “must be approached carefully because it can destabilize the financial system.” internationally,” diplomatic sources point out.
The Twenty-Seven will also spend time discussing the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2024-2027. This is the first time that leaders have discussed the budget review and the aim is to give political guidance to ministers with a view to trying to close an agreement before the end of the year. In her proposal, presented last June, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, included in the review an additional allocation of 50 billion for Ukraine, 15 billion more for asylum and immigration policymore money for technologies and to cover the impact of rising interest rates.
“We must take a critical look at our most pressing needs, determine our priorities and decide how to finance them,” says Michel. A group of countries, the so-called frugal ones, agree to put more “fresh” money for Ukraine, but they insist that the financing of the rest of the objectives must be carried out by reallocating items from the current budget framework. Michel has also included a debate on asylum and immigration on the agenda, although to avoid problems, as at the Granada summit, the draft conclusions only echo that the Twenty-seven have held a strategic debate.
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