Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU divisions over Israel-Palestine leave Brussels powerless as conflict worsens

EU divisions over Israel-Palestine leave Brussels powerless as conflict worsens

The bloc has long failed to find a common position on the intractable conflict in Middle East.

EU foreign affairs ministers on Tuesday will discuss the seemingly urgent question of what their governments and Brussels can do to help end the latest deadly violence between Israel and the Palestinians, which has been raging for more than a week. But top officials, diplomats and experts on the Middle East say the answer has been known for years: nothing.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, convened the special videoconference of ministers after issuing repeated statements in recent days imploring an end to the rocket fire against Israeli civilians by Hamas, and urging that Israel “act proportionately and avoid civilian casualties.”

But EU countries have long been ferociously divided over the Israel-Palestine question, as was clear on Sunday when the EU ambassador to the United Nations, Olof Skoog, delivered a statement to the Security Council condemning the violence but was prevented from speaking “on behalf of its member states.” Hungary, an ally of Israel, blocked the statement.

Borrell, similarly, is often forced to issue statements on the Israel-Palestine conflict without the unanimous endorsement of the 27 member countries, effectively leaving him to speak for himself. Without national capitals on board, the EU is impotent on foreign policy.

The result is that as civilian casualties mount, the EU is once again betwixt and between the combatants. Israel is demanding stronger, unequivocal support from Brussels as a fellow democracy, and condemnation of Hamas, which is already designated in the EU as a terrorist group. Meanwhile, the Palestinians are accusing the EU of turning a blind eye to violations of international law, and decades of territorial occupation and rights abuses.

In terms of geopolitical influence, it means the EU is nowhere to be found.

“In the European Union, what is difficult is to find a full consensus on Israel,” Javier Solana, a former NATO secretary-general and former EU high representative for common foreign and security policy, said in an interview for POLITICO’s EU Confidential podcast that will air Thursday.

“[There] never has been a clear consensus about Israel and particularly when the situation is like this,” Solana said. “But we should be able to do something … for helping the people, which are now suffering.”

Borrell, who like Solana is a former foreign minister of Spain, is hoping that Tuesday’s videoconference will at least yield consensus on a forceful statement aimed at halting the worst violence in years, and contain its risk of escalation. But other officials and diplomats said the meeting could do little more than put a greater spotlight on the EU’s hopeless discord.

Among the 27 member countries, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden and Luxembourg are among those most critical of Israel. Countries in Eastern Europe, especially Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, are among those in strongest support of Israel, though in recent days the flag of Israel has flown prominently over the HQ of Germany’s biggest governing party and official buildings in Austria and the Czech Republic in a show of support. Greece and Cyprus have also grown closer to Israel in recent years, partly because of tensions with Turkey.

France typically seeks to stake out more neutral ground, but President Emmanuel Macron’s office has issued statements in recent days that tilted decidedly toward Israel. The Elysée’s statements “firmly condemned rocket launching claimed by Hamas and other terrorist groups targeting the Israeli territory,” but were vaguer when referencing Israeli bombing.

On that, they said Macron had given his condolences to “the many Palestinian civilian losses resulting from military operations and ongoing clashes with Israel.” Macron also reiterated his “unwavering attachment to Israel’s security and its right to defend itself in line with international law,” but failed to reiterate his support for the rights of Palestinians, or recall the status of Jerusalem under international law, in line with France’s historic position.

‘Strong and unequivocal support’


This round of clashes was set off after disputes over attempts by Israeli settlers to forcibly evict Palestinians from a neighborhood in Jerusalem, and heavy-handed Israeli police intervention in the Al-Aqsa mosque. Hamas seized upon these incidents to launch a barrage of rockets at Israeli cities; Israel responded with heavy bombing of the Gaza strip.

Israel’s deputy ambassador to the EU, Walid Abu Haya, said in an interview Monday that Brussels needed to step up its support of a democratic ally under terrorist attack.

“What we want from Europe is very strong and unequivocal support,” Abu Haya said. “The EU cannot just play the game of trying to balance here. The situation is not balanced. All members have declared Hamas as a terror organization.”

He said Israel would be monitoring Tuesday’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting but that in any event, it would defend itself as long as necessary with or without the EU’s backing.

“All efforts should be done now just to stop this terror,” he said. “Israel’s intentions are very clear. We are not stopping, we are going until we put an end to this attack by Hamas.”

While Israel is confident of support from allies such as Germany, it has less faith in Borrell, who has criticized Israel in the past, including in a statement at the end of April that suggested Israel was obstructing elections from being held in the Palestinian territories. EU officials said Borrell had a “frank” conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi that included concerns about civilian casualties and a disproportionate military response.

An EU spokesman said at a news conference Monday that Borrell’s hope was for ministers to agree on steps to help halt the violence and to move toward a resumption of peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.

But Borrell’s social-democrat political family has also been critical of Israel, while demanding an end to the violence.

“We believe that the EU must take its responsibility and facilitate peace and a long-lasting solution, and not only the EU but also the international community should speak out and put an end to the Israeli occupation and work for a two-state solution,” Utta Tuttlies, spokeswoman for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, said at a news conference.

But Tuttlies also noted the EU’s difficulties in finding a unified position. “We call on the EU and the international community to assume their responsibility and also on the EU to speak up with one voice to stop the violence,” she said.

French hopes


In the podcast interview, Solana said the EU had to find a way to get beyond bland statements and that calls for negotiations between the two sides were unrealistic at the moment. He said Tuesday’s meeting of foreign ministers should at least try to achieve “some mobilization” on the humanitarian front, to alleviate the suffering of those most affected by the conflict.

But many diplomats, officials and experts said the EU’s best chance for influence in the Middle East was more likely to come from France, which after Brexit is the EU’s only permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

On Monday, Macron met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Paris.

France doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Hamas, and has been backing Egyptian mediation between Hamas and Israel. But no timeline for an end to hostilities has emerged, and there have been no calls for an “immediate ceasefire” or plans for a more limited humanitarian lull, mainly because Israel is not ready to stop military operations yet.

Instead, both presidents “agreed to continue coordinating to foster a quick ceasefire.”

On Thursday, Macron spoke to Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, who has no leverage over Hamas or East Jerusalem. But in a sign of France and Europe’s second-tier role in the conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “was not available for a phone call that day,” according to Macron’s office. The two spoke on Friday. Netanyahu found the time to speak to U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has been engaged in intense diplomacy, discussing the situation with his American, Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts.

In a statement on May 10, the spokesperson of the foreign ministry said “France is vividly concerned by threats of forcible evictions targeting residents of the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, which are part of the settlements policy that is illegal according to international law,” and reiterated France’s “attachment to the preservation of the historic status quo at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound.”

At Monday’s news conference, Peter Stano, a spokesman for the European Commission, said the EU regarded Israeli settlements in the occupied territories as illegal and that Brussels had also urged reconsideration and restraint in regard to threatened evictions.

Stano said the main goal, though, was to end the military conflict.

“The representatives of the European public, the ministers of foreign affairs in this case, are trying very hard to deal with the situation and find the best possible contribution by the EU to de-escalate and stop the violence,” he said. “And I think that’s it. I can only repeat that of course the casualties are unacceptable.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×