Middle East, von der Leyen forced a reversal in relation to Israel. The case in the EU

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, took some time to specify that Israel’s right to defend itself, following the attacks launched by Hamas on October 7 in the south of the country against civilian targets, must be exercised in accordance with the law international humanitarian. The transition from the initial position, aligned in favor of the right of defense of the Jewish State, without any limits, to the current one is attested not only by the president’s public statements, but also by the minutes of the meetings of the college of commissioners on October 11 and 17 , consulted by Adnkronos. The High Representative, Josep Borrell, was not present at both meetings and was busy abroad. Von der Leyen’s initial position, completely in favor of Israel, without any specifics, would have greatly irritated Borrell, raising criticism even within the Commission’s services, so much so that hundreds of public servants were encouraged to sign a letter of protest.

Several member states were also surprised by von der Leyen’s statements in an area, foreign policy, which is the responsibility of the Council. On October 11, von der Leyen, before the Israeli ambassador to the EU, Haim Regev, invited to the meeting, stressed that the Union “strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack carried out by Hamas against Israel. It was a heinous crime and an unprecedented act of war.” The president, the minutes report, “confirmed the EU’s unwavering solidarity with Israel and underlined Israel’s right to defend itself.” The president “communicated her full support for Isaac Herzog, head of the State of Israel”, highlighting that during the weekend “the Berlaymont building and other European monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Brandenburg Gate, were illuminated with lights in Israeli colors, as a sign of solidarity. ” The president then invited the college to “observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims”.

For von der Leyen, the October 7 attacks represented “a tragedy for Israel, the Jewish people and Europe, reminiscent of the darkest moments in our history. This terrorist act – he added – can in no way be justified by the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people; on the contrary, this terrible attack, for which Hamas is solely responsible, will bring even more suffering to innocent Palestinians. Even if the EU’s humanitarian aid is in no way questioned, it is still necessary to carefully review financial assistance to Palestine, as the EU has never financed and will never finance any terrorist group.” For the president “there is no contradiction between expressing a unwavering solidarity with Israel and confirming the commitment to meet the humanitarian needs of Palestinians.”