LUXEMBOURG – European Union foreign ministers failed to reach agreement at a meeting on Monday on recommending a “humanitarian pause” to allow aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza as Israel continues its airstrikes on the besieged territory.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” last week, but EU ministers discussed what Foreign Minister Josep Borrell called a less ambitious “humanitarian pause.” Borrell stressed that while the EU cannot “order” a pause, it can send the message that it supports a pause.
Although there was a “basic consensus,” several diplomats who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about the meeting, as well as others quoted in this story, stressed that there was not the required unanimity. The ministers have not yet voted, said Borrell.
EU ambassadors discussed a draft text on the humanitarian pause on Monday afternoon that could be added to the final text that leaders will endorse at the EU summit later this week. However, they were unable to find a compromise despite a majority in favor, according to two diplomats familiar with the discussion. An agreement on the language could be reached at the next ambassadors’ meeting on Wednesday, one of the diplomats said.
The move to advocate a “humanitarian pause” reflected growing concern within the EU over Palestinian civilians in Gaza after Israel’s two-week bombing following a Hamas attack that killed 1,400 people. According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 5,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
According to the United Nations, before the Israel-Hamas war, more than 60 percent of Palestinians in Gaza relied on international aid, and more than 1.4 million Palestinians have been displaced since the war began.
Israel imposed a “total siege” on the Gaza Strip after beginning its war with Hamas, cutting off the population’s electricity, water and fuel. 2.2. Millions of residents of the blockaded territory, whose air, land and sea borders have been controlled by Israel since 2007 and the movement of goods and people is strictly restricted. The ongoing blockade has pushed Palestinians in Gaza to the brink of starvation, Cindy McCain, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program, told POLITICO on Sunday.
Much more help needs to be provided, she said.
So far, EU leaders have emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense in accordance with international law, as well as the need for a two-state solution and the protection of civilians, but without calling for an end or pause in hostilities.
Borrell and the diplomats said it would be up to EU leaders to meet later this week to set a common line.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the meeting, Borrell explained the difference between a ceasefire and a pause. A pause means “something stops temporarily but then continues, so of course it is a less ambitious goal than a ceasefire, which means full agreement between the parties,” he said.
At the beginning of the meeting many countries — including the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Luxembourg – called for an initiative to allow aid to reach Palestinians stuck in Gaza, using different language ranging from “humanitarian pause” to “ceasefire” or “humanitarian corridors” are sufficient.
Others expressed more skepticism: “We cannot contain the humanitarian catastrophe if terrorism from Gaza continues.” Therefore, combating terrorism is crucial,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters.
Two diplomats said the mixed language of humanitarian pause, humanitarian ceasefire and ceasefire resulted in the group failing to make a clear decision. A third diplomat was skeptical that the group would reach unanimity, pointing to countries like Austria that appear unconvinced to support a humanitarian pause.
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell | John Thys/AFP via Getty Images
Humanitarian aid has started reaching Gaza, but it is not enough, Borrell told reporters before the meeting in Luxembourg. “On the first day, 20 trucks were allowed to come in – 20. Yesterday there were about 20 more. But in normal times, without war, 100 trucks entered the Gaza Strip every day. So it is clear that 20 [trucks]it’s not enough,” he said.
Both sides, Hamas and Israel, must agree on a pause, and both parties are committed to ensuring that aid reaches the Palestinians, said Janez Lenarčič, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, who was invited to the meeting by ministers, told POLITICO.
“All parties involved are subject to international legal obligations to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access for all parties,” he said.