The foreign ministers of the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) will meet in an emergency situation due to the worsening of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, namely the recent Hamas attack and Israeli retaliation.
“In light of what has recently happened between Gaza and Israel, the High Representative said that he [da UE para os Negócios Estrangeiros, Josep Borrell,] an urgent and extraordinary ministerial council has been convened,” European Commission Foreign Affairs spokesman Peter Stano announced at a press conference in Brussels.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday. Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho will participate via videoconference.
I will convene an emergency meeting of EU Foreign Ministers tomorrow to discuss the situation in the EU #Israel and in the region.
– Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) October 9, 2023
The Commission spokesperson added that the meeting will take place partly in Muscat, the capital of Oman, where Josep Borrell is currently participating in the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council: “Some ministers from Member States are already physically present, these will participate in person, the others via video conference.”
The purpose of the extraordinary meeting is to “discuss what happened last weekend,” understand the “implications and consequences” of the rising tensions and what the 27 can do from now on, Peter Stano said.
Asked about the possibility of EU money intended for the Palestinian population being used to finance Hamas, Commission spokesman Eric Mamer assured that “that is not the case” and that foreign ministers at the meeting from Wednesday “will monitor the entire situation”, from the conflict to the humanitarian aid of the 27.
“Discussions are already underway, but the EU does not finance Hamas, directly or indirectly,” the spokesperson said, recalling that the organization is on the EU bloc’s list of terrorist organizations.
Regarding the Israeli retaliation, which caused a large number of civilian casualties, Peter Stano added that “Israel has the right to defend itself under international law” and that “Hamas is also harming the Palestinian people.”
“This will only lead to a worsening of tensions,” the Commission spokesperson argued, adding that if the two sides do not return to the negotiating table and engage in dialogue, the “cycle of violence will continue.”
Regarding allegations that Iran may have financed Hamas’s attack, Peter Stano noted that “it is not for the EU to point fingers” and called for the need to “ensure that Hamas’s attack is stopped”.
Source: DN
