“We meet at a time of great uncertainty and instability” – with these words Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, wishes to welcome the EU heads of state and government to their two-day meeting in Brussels, On thursday. This time, the regular summit is dominated by two geopolitical tragedies whose effects directly affect the Union: the new war in the Middle East and the “old” war in Ukraine. Of these two conflicts, the exchange of arms between Israel and Hamas is the most pressing problem, because the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, from where the Islamists attacked Israel and where they kidnapped their hostages, is deteriorating by the hour. “We must discuss how we can urgently ensure the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and access to the most basic needs,” states Michel’s invitation letter.
But behind the unanimous condemnation of radical Islamic atrocities in Israel and the fact that the civilian population in the Gaza Strip was caught in the crossfire, there was disagreement to the last about what demands the EU wanted to make of the warring parties. Simply put, there are two camps within the Member States: on the one hand, those States that give Israel every right to self-defense and do not want to make any recommendations to the government in Jerusalem regarding a new military strategy in the Gaza Strip. Strip, and on the other hand, those who push for the bloodshed to end as quickly as possible.