Words are important. When we talk about the results of the European Council, we see that this statement is more true than ever. After five hours of discussion, the leaders of the 27 member states of the European Union managed to reach an agreement on a common attitude towards the war between Israel and Hamas, thanks to careful study of the terms to be used. Instead of the initial request for a single pause, write the line “humane pauses” in the plural. But at the same time, criticism of Israel’s excessive use of force began to soften. The phrase in the earlier draft, in which the Council said “condemn in the strongest terms all forms of violence and hostility against all civilians”, disappears from the agreed text.
Instead, there is a sentence in which the leaders express their “sadness for the loss of civilian lives.” They may seem like details, but in the language of the European ‘bubble’ they are basic details. The text continues: The European Union “firmly emphasizes Israel’s right to self-defense” and “condemns in the strongest possible terms” Hamas for the terrorist attack on October 7 in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed. The use of civilians as human shields is a particularly deplorable brutality.” Regarding the killing of Palestinians in Israeli bombings, leaders speak of “the importance of ensuring the protection of all civilians under all circumstances and in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
unity, agreement #EUCO On the Middle East consequences. pic.twitter.com/sC8zUuiZlI
— Ecaterina Casinge (@ecasinge) 26 October 2023
At the meeting, it was Spain and Portugal, led by socialists Pedro Sanchez and António Costa, who tried to persuade the Council to use stronger words to ask Tel Aviv for a pause in hostilities, but also to demand a “ceasefire”. Criticizing attacks on civilian infrastructure. On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres himself spoke of “collective punishments” against Palestinians and “blatant violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza.
But in Brussels, the soft line sought by the countries closest to Israel, including Olaf Scholz’s Germany and Karl Nehammer’s Austria, prevailed. The first person to attend the meeting in Brussels said he had “no doubt” that the Israeli army would respect “the rules arising from international law” because Israel “is a democratic state with very humanitarian principles.” Instead, Nehammer complained that “all fantasies about a ceasefire and an end to hostilities lead to the strengthening of Hamas.”
An agreement was also reached to send at least humanitarian aid to Gaza. Since Saturday, 74 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies have entered the Strip; This is far less than the 100 trucks a day that the United Nations says is a situation where more than 2 million people live in this region who have not been able to get any supplies for weeks and have been handed out water and water. electricity was cut. In its conclusions, the Council “expresses serious concern about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation” in the Strip and calls for “sustained, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” to be ensured, including through “humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs”. .
Almost three weeks into the war, more than 7,000 Palestinians, including 2,400 children, were killed in Israeli bombardment of Gaza, according to estimates by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which also published the names of 6,747 victims. The shortage of fuel needed to power hospitals in the Gaza Strip has become so great that UNRWA, the United Nations agency that has been caring for Palestinian refugees for decades, said it had begun significantly reducing fuel consumption. operations.
Continue reading at Europa.Today.it
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
