The conflict between Israel and Hamas has lasted more than two weeks and already has warnings from several sides: from Israel to Iran, including the United States. In it TSF ForumSocialist MEP Pedro Marques maintains that instability in the Middle East spreads to the rest of the world. In the case of the European Union, Pedro Marques asks that we speak with a single voice.
“[É preciso] a unified voice, something we did not have for too long in the first days of this war,” he says, giving as an example “such important differences between the Council and President Von der Leyen, that on her trip to Israel she did not convey greater balance that the Council and the High Representative for Foreign Policy had been transmitting. “The first days of the European response to this situation were not good.”
Pedro Marques highlights the “contrast” with the North American response, “where the message was strong and that’s how it should be.”
“We have to exert all possible diplomatic pressure to find ways of stabilization, use our resources on the humanitarian aid side, but use all our forces with diplomacy in the region,” he considers.
Contrary to what Pedro Marques defends, the PSD MEP, Paulo Rangel, criticizes Josep Borrell’s position.
“The one who was in a very bad position from the beginning was the high representative Josep Borrell, who has been clearly hostile towards Israel and that does not seem positive to me, because initially, when the Hamas attack occurred, it was “It is not the time to to do the pedagogy that is then necessary, especially in humanitarian matters, and the first thing he did was, in fact, a warning against Israel,” says the Social Democratic MEP.
Paulo Rangel affirms that Josep Borrell made a “completely one-dimensional” intervention in the European Parliament. “He was someone who visited China at a time when he should have been visiting Arab capitals, like Antony Blinken, and therefore I believe that this was an effort that corresponded to him as a high representative,” he highlights.
For her part, Marisa Matías, MEP from the Left Bloc, praises the work of the head of European diplomacy.
“I think that if we followed the line of what Josep Borrell has made public the position of the External Action Service, I think we would be doing much more than what we are actually doing,” he says, pointing out that the European Union The resolution and the European Parliament , despite mentioning “the need for a humanitarian pause,” is “very partial” and “does not represent the concrete situation that is happening in Israel and Gaza.”
“It was important that the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, could leave representation to whoever should have it, which is High Representative Josep Borrell,” says Marisa Matias.
Nuno Melo, CDS MEP, highlights that the European Union has played an intervention role, but the situation is very complicated.
“The European Union has an intervention role. We are aware of the recent controversy surrounding Von der Leyen’s simple trip to the territory and, in addition, the European Union has long been contributing financially to humanitarian causes in Palestine and has long been demanding that the use of this money is controlled on a humanitarian level and not for military purposes. The conflict in itself is so complex and so difficult to manage and brings together so many powers around it on a global scale that it is difficult for any protagonist to play a role. decisive role in changing circumstances,” he points out.
Following an attack by the Islamist group Hamas on October 7 that killed 1,400 people in Israel, Tel Aviv has since carried out an intense bombardment of Gaza, leaving around 4,700 dead.
Israel also imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip, where 2.3 million people live, cutting off electricity and water supplies and access to essential goods, including fuel needed for generators.
The tragedy caused by the intense blockade and bombing caused international commotion and led countries that initially referred only to Israel’s right to defense to demand proportionality and respect for humanitarian law.
Source: TSF
