EU’s shaky credibility: Gaza conflict shifts focus from Ukraine

By Ella Joyner

WASHINGTON: Almost three weeks since Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly terrorist assault into southern Israel, killing some 1,400 people, mostly civilians, the outlook remains bleak. For the 27 EU leaders gathering in Brussels on Thursday, the priority was to use their collective clout to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza and push for hostages seized from Israel to be set free unconditionally. But, on the first day of a two-day summit and as in past weeks, leaders and senior EU officials have struck different tones. The whole EU has unequivocally condemned Hamas’s attacks. However, some member states have taken a tougher line on Israel’s response than others.

Ahead of the summit, acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had already called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, echoing United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to allow aid into Gaza. But others, including Germany, which has closely backed Israel in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack, have expressed concern that a cease-fire would impinge on Israel’s right to self-defense. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he had “no doubt” the Israeli army would follow international law. “Israel is a democratic state with strong humanitarian principles,” he told reporters.

Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters on Thursday that “all the fantasies of ceasefires and the cessation of hostilities [had] led to the strengthening of Hamas.” After five hours of talks, leaders issued a joint statement calling for “humanitarian corridors and humanitarian pauses,” described by EU officials as a compromise. The EU also condemned Hamas’ attacks once again and said they supported holding an international peace conference “soon.”

The EU’s response to the outbreak of armed hostilities in Gaza has been somewhat confused. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a German center-right politician, promptly traveled to Israel in a show of solidarity after October 7.

In contrast to EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, von der Leyen took longer to stress that Israel must defend itself in line with international law and omitted mention of the EU’s official support for a two-state solution. James Moran, a fellow from the Centre for European Policy Studies think tank in Brussels, said that the initial reactions of certain EU leaders and officials were “overboard pro-Israeli.”

“I think the Arab world has reacted quite badly to that,” said Moran, a former EU senior envoy in the Middle East. “Traditionally the EU has managed to more or less an even-handed approach,” he added, gaining it respect on both sides but particularly on the Arab one as an “honest broker.”

On Wednesday, Queen Rania of Jordan accused Western leaders of applying a “glaring double standard.” “When October 7 happened, the world immediately and unequivocally stood by Israel and its right to defend itself and condemned the attack that happened … but what we’re seeing in the last couple of weeks, we’re seeing silence in the world,” she told CNN on Wednesday.

In the meantime, the EU was also keen to dispel worries that it could be taking its eye off the ball over the war in Ukraine. “We support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Charles Michel emphasized. Dmytro Kryvosheiev of the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank said that while the Israel-Hamas conflict was absorbing attention, he did not believe it would seriously change the EU’s position towards Ukraine.