After Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October, the EU made efforts for unity and influence in the face of the crisis in the Middle East.
The escalating bloodshed has captured Europe’s attention at a time when there are growing doubts about whether the West will be able to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
The 27-nation bloc has long been divided between more pro-Palestinian members, such as Ireland and Spain, and staunch supporters of Israel, including Germany and Austria.
A Hamas attack that Israel says killed at least 1,400. people and more than 200 hostages were widely condemned.
But there is less consensus on calls for an end to Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which the Hamas-controlled territory’s health ministry says has killed more than 6,500 people. people.
After days of talks, the draft summit statement called for “sustainable, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance and for aid to reach those in need by all necessary measures, including a humanitarian pause.”
The statement, which could change when leaders meet in Brussels, is at odds with United Nations calls for a ceasefire.
Germany, eschewing calls for a total freeze that would tie Israel’s hands, has made calls for humanitarian “windows” or “breaks” in the plural.
“Letters, commas, language matter, and that’s how agreements are found,” said one senior EU official.
But diplomats from some EU countries warn that the delay in finding the right words amid the rising death toll is damaging the bloc’s global reputation and forcing it to falter in the face of events.
Ukraine pushed into the shadows?
An outbreak of violence in the Middle East has fueled fears that the West could be distracted from Russia’s war in Ukraine 20 months after the invasion began.
The new crisis comes at a time when the United States Congress is raising questions about the sustainability of military aid provided by Washington.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised on Tuesday that “this support will in no way affect the fact that we have been looking at Israel and the Middle East with the greatest sympathy and concern since the terrible morning of October 7.”
The EU’s main tool to appease Kyiv is a plan previously estimated at 20 billion euros. euros over four years, to create a defense fund for Ukraine that would be part of broader Western security commitments.
Diplomats say progress is being held back by Hungary, Russia’s closest ally in the bloc, and leaders plan to brief the bloc’s foreign policy chief on the situation in December.
It will also call for new sanctions against Moscow, including a ban on imports of Russian diamonds, once the Group of Seven (G-7) agrees on a way to trace them.
In addition, a plan to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine will be discussed.
The debate on Ukraine will focus on the country’s next steps towards joining the EU.
On November 8, the bloc’s executive body must provide an assessment of whether to start formal accession negotiations with Kyiv.
EU leaders will then decide by the end of the year whether to adopt any recommendations.
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