European Union leaders were urged on Thursday to show the same respect for international law in Gaza as they aim to uphold in Ukraine, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians face dire food shortages and possible famine. At an EU summit in Brussels, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the leaders to remain strong and united in their respect of standards enshrined in the United Nations Charter and international law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe basic principle of international humanitarian law is the protection of civilians. We must stick to principles in Ukraine as in Gaza without double standards,\u201d Guterres told reporters, standing alongside EU Council President Charles Michel, who chaired the summit. A UN food agency has warned that \u201cfamine is imminent\u201d in northern Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, appears determined to launch a ground offensive in the southern city of Rafah, where many people have sought refuge from the fighting.<\/p>\n
The 27-nation EU has long been deeply divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians, and the devastating Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 laid bare those differences. But as the death toll in Gaza mounts to nearly 32,000 people, more countries are supporting calls for a cease-fire. In contrast, almost the entire bloc sees Russia\u2019s two-year-long war on Ukraine as an existential threat. They\u2019ve poured billions of euros into supporting the country, by providing it with arms and ammunition and helping to prop up its war-ravaged economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe response to the appalling crisis in Palestine has not been Europe\u2019s finest hour, quite frankly,\u201d said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, whose country is among the strongest backers of the Palestinians. \u201cI think it has been undermining particularly of our efforts to defend Ukraine because so many countries in the global south \u2013 also known as most of the world \u2013 interpret Europe\u2019s actions in relation to Ukraine versus Palestine as double standards. I think they have a point,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo described the events unfolding in Gaza as \u201cdramatic.\u201d \u201cWe see today people who are trying to feed themselves by eating grass. People who are on the verge of being in a famine. Europe needs to lead, and not to follow, and it is time for us to be clear: to demand an immediate ceasefire, to demand the liberation of the hostages,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n
In a draft statement prepared for the summit, seen by The Associated Press, the leaders are due to lament \u201cthe unprecedented loss of civilian lives and the critical humanitarian situation. The European Council calls for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire.\u201d The Israel-Hamas war has driven 80 per cent of Gaza\u2019s population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes, and UN officials say a quarter of the population is starving.<\/p>\n
Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people in the surprise October 7 attack out of Gaza that triggered the war, and abducted another 250 people. Hamas is still believed to be holding some 100 people hostage, as well as the remains of 30 others. Concern is mounting about an imminent Israeli ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, Gaza\u2019s southernmost city near the border with Egypt. It\u2019s a plan that has raised global alarm because of the potential for harm to the hundreds of thousands of civilians sheltering there.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel can\u2019t achieve its goal of \u201ctotal victory\u201d against Hamas without going into Rafah. The EU leaders would also urge \u201cthe Israeli government to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah,\u201d saying that \u201csuch an operation would have devastating humanitarian consequences and must be avoided.\u201d The statement was a draft that could change by the time the summit ends.<\/p>\n
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a staunch ally of Israel who visited the country on Sunday, said that \u201cwe are not for a big offensive in Rafah. I stressed that in Israel myself, and we hope that a longer-lasting cease-fire will now be possible that is also linked to the release of all hostages . and the handover of the dead.\u201d EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that \u201cwhat\u2019s happening today in Gaza is the failure of humanity. It is not a humanitarian crisis. It is the failure of humanity.\u201d The cause, he told reporters, \u201cis not an earthquake, is not a flood. It\u2019s bombing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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