The needs of Gaza, which is on the brink of disaster, are immense. As the EU, the Palestinians’ main donor and Israel’s trading partner, awaits the agreement between Israel and Hamas to formalize an exchange of 50 civilian hostages in exchange for four days of humanitarian ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners, it is pushing for water, Medicine, food and fuel are urgently reaching the Strip. The person responsible for the European part of this major aid operation, Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management and Humanitarian Aid, warns that ensuring basic services for the civilian population is an obligation of “all parties to the conflict”. In his office in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Lenarčič (Ljubljana, 56 years old) explains the EU’s reaction and talks about the future. One in which he sees no other alternative than the two-state solution: Israel and Palestine.
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Questions. The situation in Gaza is critical, we receive images from local journalists, information from NGOs, but does the EU have first-hand information and a view on the ground?
Answer. Fortunately, we have evacuated the EU personnel who wanted to leave, but we have our humanitarian partners in Gaza who are acting heroically and operating in a catastrophic situation and under very difficult security conditions. The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees, the World Food Program, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent… More than a hundred members of these organizations have lost their lives in Gaza. In addition, almost 15,000 Palestinians have died, including a very high proportion of women and children. There has been no pause in the intense bombing of the Gaza Strip, with repeated attacks and clashes around medical facilities protected by international humanitarian law.
Q We are talking about a siege and an extreme situation for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
R. We are talking about a siege that has only been partially alleviated by the resumption of some water and fuel supplies that are insufficient for humanitarian needs. And that needs to be improved. The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution that, in very clear terms, prescribes longer humanitarian breaks and corridors of several days to allow humanitarian assistance, and specifies what this assistance must include: food, medicine, water, fuel… UN Security Council resolutions are part of international law, which was already very clear beforehand.
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Q This siege violated international law…
R. Yes, you can put it in different ways: it is not in accordance with international law. The Security Council has made it clear that all parties to the conflict, including Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces, are obliged to provide supplies and humanitarian assistance. We hope that the ceasefire agreement just reached will enable a significant increase in humanitarian assistance to and within the Gaza Strip. And we hope it’s not something isolated.
Q Aside from this agreement, which remains to be seen, the question is, why is so little aid reaching the Gaza Strip?
R. Due to the Israeli blockade, border crossings on the Israeli side into Gaza cannot be used, so only one border crossing, Rafah, is operational. [desde Egipto]. This pass has a significant capacity; On one of the last days, around 115 trucks with relief supplies arrived there. If this number could be accessed every day, Gaza could receive significant humanitarian aid shipments if administrative procedures, including Israeli inspections, were required [a los camiones y los cargamentos] were done quickly. And if this step is not enough, another one would have to be opened. It is the duty of all parties to the conflict to ensure that vital goods arrive.
Q Can the EU talk to Israel to speed up the delivery of aid? It does?
R. We are talking to Israel and there have been positive movements since the first days when some water supplies were returned. The amount of fuel that is regularly allowed to be brought into Gaza, for example, is still not enough. And it is an extremely necessary element for hospitals, for water pumps and desalination plants, for bakeries and for the operation of humanitarian organizations.
Q The EU is now talking about the “day after” for Gaza. What role will you play in aid and reconstruction?
R. My responsibility is to provide immediate emergency assistance and that is my priority, but the EU is thinking about the next steps. We need a radical change in efforts to get work back on track and bring about a political solution to the conflict. That means reviving and accelerating long-stalled efforts toward a two-state solution. There is consensus on this.
Q The need in Gaza is urgent and the situation is frightening. What is the situation in the West Bank?
R. The humanitarian situation in the West Bank is steadily deteriorating, primarily due to violence by extremist settlers and also Israeli security forces. In addition, there are restrictions preventing the free movement of Palestinians, who have difficulty accessing their jobs or farms. Israel also revoked work permits, which provided a large portion of Palestinians’ income. EU assistance is designed to reach both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, although there are now more pressing needs in the Gaza Strip. However, given the changing circumstances, both development assistance and humanitarian assistance to the occupied Palestinian territories need to be increased.
Q Arab countries and the so-called Global South accuse the EU of applying double standards and, for example, treating what is happening in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion differently than what is happening in Gaza.
R. Every conflict has its own complexity. In the case of Ukraine, we are talking about armed aggression by Russia against the sovereignty of a peaceful neighbor. What happened on October 7th was a terrorist attack by Hamas, defined as a terrorist organization by the EU, which committed atrocities that cannot in any way be justified as resistance to the occupation. When the European Union said that Israel has the right to defend itself and protect its people from terrorism and terrorist attacks by Hamas, we also said that this right must be exercised in accordance with international law.
Q However, many believe that the lives of civilian Palestinians and Israelis or Europeans do not matter equally to the EU.
R. I completely disagree, the EU has made it very clear in many ways, on many occasions and from many sources, that civilian lives must be protected in any conflict, including this one.
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