“There is no contradiction” between supporting Israel and “meeting the need for humanitarian aid” in Gaza, says Ursula von der Leyen
“There is no contradiction between showing our solidarity with Israel and, of course, acting to meet the needs of humanitarian aid for the residents of Gaza,” emphasized the President of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der, on Thursday night on Friday Leyen, at the end of a European Council dealing with the situation in the Middle East.
European leaders have called for the establishment of “humanitarian corridors” and “breaks” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to respond to the needs of civilians in Gaza. The leaders of the 27 European Union (EU) countries expressed their “deepest concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza” in a statement, setting a common line after more than two weeks of cacophony on the issue.
They called for “continuous, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access (…) to assist those in need by all necessary means, including humanitarian corridors and breaks for humanitarian needs.”
“Unity is our strength,” welcomed the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on the social network The declaration required intensive negotiations over the wording used, with the Twenty-Seven seeking a balance between support for Israel and solidarity with civilians in Gaza.
The summit came after Israel announced that it had entered the Gaza Strip with tanks for several hours to “prepare the battlefield for a ground offensive.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz unreservedly supported this effort. “Israel is a democratic state with very humanitarian principles guiding it, and we can therefore be sure that the Israeli army will respect the rules of international law in its actions. “I have no doubt about that,” he said.
In a short statement adopted after five hours of discussions, the Twenty-Seven stressed that the EU supported the organization of an “international peace conference” that would take place “soon”. This idea of a conference “in the next six months” was put forward by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez upon his arrival.
The Twenty-Seven also reaffirms “Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with humanitarian and international law.” They reiterate their call on Hamas to “immediately release all hostages.”
All European leaders strongly condemned Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, which Israel said left at least 1,400 people dead and 224 hostages, four of whom have been released since Friday evening. But consensus is less strong on the question of whether to stop Israel’s retaliatory bombings in the Gaza Strip, which have killed more than 7,000 people, according to the health ministry of Hamas, which controls that Palestinian territory.