There is no expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, no reduction of territory in the Strip, and no Israeli occupation. These are some of the demands that Europe made from Tel Aviv when the war ended. The European Union continues to call for “urgent” humanitarian pauses to provide increasingly necessary humanitarian aid, but it is also thinking about the future, when the war is over. And it does so with a plan based on the “three nos and three yeses” approved by the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
High Representative Josep Borrell declared at the end of the meeting that the three no’s were: “Forcibly removing the Palestinian people from Gaza in order to be welcomed in other countries is out of the question. The territory of the strip cannot be reduced and there should be no new occupation by Israel”, as well as “the return of Hamas” and finally “Gaza cannot be separated from the general solution of the Palestinian problem”.
Instead, the three yeses given are, first of all, that “the Gaza Strip should return under the control of the Palestinian authority.” “Not the Palestinian Authority, but an authority whose legitimacy is defined and confirmed by the UN Security Council,” Borrell said, as if to underline that control of Gaza should not necessarily be transferred to Abu Mazen, but also possibly to another leader recognized by Israel. For the Palestinians as well as internationally. And this authority, he explained, “must have strong support.”
And to achieve this we need the second yes: towards “more involvement of the Arab countries in the search for solutions”, the Spanish socialist said, adding that he knows that at the moment these nations “do not want to talk” “about the next day”, but to current events and the end of the war focus, but sooner or later there will be a conclusion and then “there will be no solution without the strong commitment of the Arab countries”. Finally, the third yes is to the “commitment of the European Union”, as the head of diplomacy in Brussels admitted that until now “we were not there and handed over the solution to the USA”, while “Europe must commit” Borrell, “more” and He warned that if he did not do so, “violence will continue for generations.”
The High Representative immediately reiterated the need for “humanitarian pauses” even if Europe had not yet gone so far as to call for a ceasefire. “The intense bombardment of Gaza has caused more than 11 thousand deaths, including mostly women and children. At the same time, there is a great shortage of basic necessities, water, medicine and food. At the same time, Borrell said, “One and a half million people live in Gaza “Some aid has arrived, but we are talking about an average of 40 trucks a day passing through the Rafah crossing point,” he recalled. “Before the war, 500 trucks passed by every day.”
He stated that the Rafah gate between Gaza and Egypt is not enough to receive more aid, and others need to be opened as well. Or, as required by the plan developed by Cyprus, the aid should be delivered by sea, “but there is no port in Gaza, floating ports need to be built,” said Borrell, underlining that this situation may be very complicated at the moment.
European Humanitarian Commissioner Janez Lenarcic has called on Israel to implement “genuine” humanitarian pauses in its war against Hamas. “It is urgent that humanitarian pauses are defined and respected” and that these pauses “must be genuine pauses”, Lenarcic said upon arriving at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. “Fuel needs to arrive. As you can see, more than half of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip have stopped working due to lack of fuel,” he added. Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean Asselborn, warned that hospitals “must not become battlefields”. He emphasized that patients in intensive care have no chance of survival.
And many European countries want to go further and, like France, are calling for a ceasefire. However, Germany opposes this. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, “I understand very well the impulse to call for a ‘ceasefire’ in this terrible situation, but these impulses are not enough to help people and truly guarantee security and peace in the Middle East.” Those calling for a ceasefire are also “Israeli” It should also say “how the security of the people will be ensured”.
The total death toll in Gaza in more than a month of fighting has risen to 11,240, according to the government press office of the Hamas-controlled Strip. As of October 7, the death toll includes 4,630 children and 3,130 women. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic; Hospitals are collapsing and becoming inoperable. Al-Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, two major hospitals in northern Syria, were closed following heavy Israeli air strikes and clashes around both facilities. While medical personnel are left without oxygen, there are no medical supplies or fuel to power the incubators.
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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.
