Leaders of the European Union gathered in Brussels to discuss the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza, but they were unable to agree on ways to pressure Israel into putting an end to the conflict.
The EU-Israel Association agreement was likely violated by a report released last week by the diplomatic service, which was released on Thursday. The bloc avoided jetting down about reversing the 25-year-old agreement or taking action on the assessment.
The EU calls for a full end to hostilities and the immediate cessation of hostility in Gaza, according to a statement from the EU.
The EU ordered a review of its association agreement with Israel in May in response to growing allegations that Israel is starving people in Gaza supported by rights organizations and UN experts. The evaluation was time-sensitive, was sent to member states last week.
However, several media outlets quoted informed diplomats who claimed that the findings highlighted Israel’s blockade of Gaza, the killing of civilians, attacks on hospitals, mass displacement of Palestinians in the territory, and the expansion of illegal settlements in occupied West Bank.
The summit’s conclusions on Thursday featured an attenuated statement that criticized “the unacceptable number of civilian casualties and the levels of starvation” in Gaza in light of a growing chasm between Israel-backed countries like Ireland and Spain and Germany and Hungary.
It put the “discussions on a follow-up” to the report’s next month on hold.
Because of those significant differences between some of the key players at the EU regarding how to look ahead in relation to Israel, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, a reporter in Brussels, reported on the watered-down version of the final statement.
He said that Germany’s desire to continue providing political and military support to Israel was “unequivocal.”
The timid statement came in spite of Spain and Ireland’s campaign to halt the 2000-diplomatic relationship between the EU and Israel. It supports trade ties between the two countries.
Before the gathering, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin remarked, “The war must stop.” The fact that Europe does not appear to be able to press Israel to end this conflict in Gaza and the ongoing slaughter of innocent children and civilians is beyond comprehension for the people of Europe.
Israeli attacks alone on Thursday resulted in the deaths of 62 people, some of whom were killed close to a humanitarian aid facility run by the shady US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private organization that was contracted to provide aid under the guise of Israeli troops and security personnel.
At least 549 Palestinians have died near GHF sites since the Gaza-based government media office first started conducting operations a month ago, according to a report released on Thursday by the government of Gaza. According to the health ministry of the enclave, 56 out of 156 people have died as a result of the war.
Israeli leaders urged Israel to “throw out its blockade of Gaza” in order to allow for the immediate, unhinged distribution of humanitarian aid there.
They also criticized the West Bank’s escalation, citing “increased settler violence” and “the expansion of illegal settlements.”
Israel’s largest trading partner is still the EU.
On Iran, “Sidelined.”
Conclusions from the recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran reiterated earlier calls for a de-escalation and stated that Iran “must fulfill its legally binding nuclear safeguard obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Israel is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal, whereas Iran denies this.
Iranian lawmakers have already voted to end cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the Guardian Council of Iran, on Thursday.
Ahelbarra, a journalist for Al Jazeera, claimed the Iran statement’s language showed the EU was “completely sidelined” by the conflict, which saw the US bomb nuclear sites before announcing a ceasefire on Monday.
Defense’s foundation has “eroded.”
At the meeting on Thursday, EU leaders discussed the 18th round of sanctions against Russia, which is currently in its fourth year of hostility in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, urged his country to send a “clear political message” to leaders via video that it was on the verge of EU membership.
Following Wednesday’s NATO summit in the Hague, leaders at the EU’s leaders reaffirmed their commitment to raising military spending by 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.
You would expect them to invest even more in their defense base, which has declined for the past 30 years, according to Teresa Fallon, director of Brussels’ Center for Russia, Europe, and Asia Studies, according to Al Jazeera.
She claimed that US President Donald Trump wanted to “shift the burden to Europe so that the US can concentrate more on China.”
Source: Aljazeera
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