Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The office of European Foreign Policy Coordinator Josep Borrell in Brussels published a statement that included the European official’s statements at the closing press conference for the foreign ministers’ meetings in member states, and included statements regarding the Middle East. Borrell said: Three weeks after President Biden’s proposal, and despite strong international support, Especially with EU support, we haven't gotten anywhere. We are nowhere in terms of ceasefire.
Borrell added, “The press conference held by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly showed that neither side is willing to implement this proposal. If they had this intention, it is now clear that there is no ceasefire at all.”
He stressed that the humanitarian situation is catastrophic. Adding |, We and the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčić, issued a joint statement in this regard, adding, “Cindy McCain, the highly respected Director of the World Food Programme, said it loud and clear: absolutely no progress has been made regarding the humanitarian support that... Enters Gaza. Hostages are still being held, and thousands of trucks are waiting to enter [Gaza]. Meanwhile, famine looms inside and more than 8,000 children under the age of five are facing severe malnutrition The border, if they can't get into [Gaza] it's just a way to search, because they can't stay there forever.
This is a real concern for all Member States. We certainly have to keep pushing for humanitarian support so we can get into Gaza. But this will not happen without a ceasefire. It's clear now.
What also raises serious concerns is the spread of the matter to the region. We support active mediation efforts, especially by the United States and France, in order to avoid confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon can count on our support, and so can Cyprus. We agreed to continue and intensify our cooperation with our Arab partners to relaunch the political process towards a two-state solution.
We confirmed that we will have a partnership council with Israel, but we are not calling for this meeting to discuss the implementation of the Erasmus programme. Clearly, we have very serious issues to bring to the table.
It announced to member states that it would receive an assessment of the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, where it would collect all the information that UN agencies had been issuing in the past days, weeks, or even months, about the situation in Gaza. The situation, the humanitarian crisis, and the responsibilities that the United Nations has been condemning, particularly in the recent report issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. [Volker] Türk.
I want to mention that the Association Council is managed by the European Union by the High Representative, and not by the rotating presidency [of the Council of the European Union]. In order to hold this session, we need a common position that must be agreed upon by Member States and the Council.
So, as long as we do not have a common position, we will not be able to convene the [Partnership] Council, but we will start working on that – on the agenda and on our common position.
In order to build this common position, I have sent member states a complete list of our relationship with Israel and Palestine, and they will receive further information about the human rights situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
All agreed to accompany the Palestinian Authority in implementing reforms, to ensure the stability of its financial resources, including tax revenues withheld by Israel, at the recent request of the G7 leaders.
There was a political agreement to move forward with sanctions on Hamas as well as on violent Israeli settlers. This political agreement will be transformed into concrete measures that will be adopted soon through written procedures.
All Member States reiterated their support for UNRWA, which is essential as a life-saving service for Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank and the region.
We do not know exactly what the ultimate goal of the Netanyahu government is. They continue to say that they will continue the war until complete victory. On the other hand, there are voices coming from the IDF itself that question this goal.
The fight against Hezbollah [in Lebanon] could plunge the entire region into a serious crisis. For this reason, we must continue our diplomatic efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza and stop the spread of war into the region.
This is a summary of what we have to do, other than continuing to deal with our Arab friends and the United States in order to search for a political solution to a war that has no military solution.
We support not only UNRWA, but all United Nations agencies. Any attack against a United Nations agency is destabilizing, and we support this institution everywhere, at all times.