Friday

1st Dec 2023

EU backs Israel on 'human shields' in Gaza

  • EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (Photo: consilium.europa.eu)
Listen to article

The EU has backed Israel in saying that its unprecedented killing of civilians in Gaza is partly due to terrorists' use of "human shields", amid intense debate on the morality of the war.

"The EU condemns the use of hospitals and civilians as human shields by Hamas," EU foreign ministers said in a statement in Brussels on Monday (12 November).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Hamas is a Palestinian paramilitary group that rules Gaza.

It is designated as a "terrorist" entity by the EU and killed some 1,400 Israelis in a dawn pogrom on 7 October.

The EU statement also called for "immediate pauses in hostilities" to let in aid, including via "a dedicated maritime route", which could include Gaza's closest EU neighbour — Cyprus.

Israel has killed over 11,000 people in Gaza, including 8,000 children and women since 7 October in the worst loss of life in living memory for Palestinians.

But the EU stopped short of calling for an Israeli "ceasefire" on Monday, as the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) pressed their attack.

"How can the [EU] demand a ceasefire, acutely, and now in this terrible situation guarantee that Israel's security is assured?," said German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock.

EU foreign relations chief Josep Borrell sold the joint statement as an impressive show of European unity.

"You know how difficult it has been the last times, after the vote in the United Nations, where [EU] countries voted in different ways, to present a completely united approach," Borrell told the press, referring to a UN vote on Gaza in October.

Borrell has been among the most vocal of Israel's EU critics. "These hostilities are severely impacting hospitals and taking a horrific toll on civilians and medical staff," Borrell warned on Monday.

He is going to Israel and Palestine next week, his office also said, as well as to Qatar — the home of Hamas leaders.

Irish foreign minister Micheál Martin likewise voiced empathy for Palestinians.

"The situation in the region is at a critical point, with a catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and continued risks of regional escalation," he said in Brussels on Monday.

For their part, the 27 EU leaders called for "pauses for humanitarian needs" at a summit on 23 October, when the Gaza death toll was passing 5,000 people.

And French president Emmanuel Macron spoke out in strident terms in defence of Gaza children in an interview with British broadcaster the BBC last weekend.

But behind the scenes, Western pressure on Israel to pause shooting has been less impressive, according to Israel's foreign minister, Eli Cohen.

"From a political point of view, we recognise that Israel has come under more pressure," he said in Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Monday.

"The pressure is not very high, but it is increasing," Cohen said.

European debate

The EU ministers met after tens of thousands of people protested against Israel's bombardment of Gaza in Brussels and London over the weekend.

Many called out the West for double standards on protecting civilians in the Ukraine war, while seeming to care less for Palestinian casualties.

The protests were peaceful, but Belgium is home to some 50,000 Jews and 800,000 Muslims and has seen a spike in antisemitism and Islamophobia since the Gaza war began.

People in the Muslim community feel the EU has given Israel a "carte blanche" in Gaza, according to one Belgian political pundit who recently spoke to EUobserver.

Many of them also don't trust Belgian media, Youssef Kobo, the Belgian expert said.

Meanwhile, the IDF has been blaming Hamas' use of human shields for the high loss of civilian life since the fighting began.

And whatever future tribunals into the war might determine, leading Arabic media, such as Al Arabiya, led with coverage of EU condemnation of Hamas on Monday instead of EU efforts to save lives, in a message that risked aggravating mistrust.

Krišjānis Kariņš, the foreign minister of Latvia, one of Israel's EU allies, also struck a different note than Ireland's Martin.

"Hamas is unfortunately using civilian infrastructure and civilians as shields against the Israel Defence Forces. So, the situation is absolutely not black and white," he said on Monday.

'Parachute aid'

Hamas hit back with a statement, accusing Borrell on Monday of lying in a "cover-up" for Israel to "commit more crimes against children and defenceless civilians," according to US news agency AP.

And all that left the Palestinian Authority (PA), which rules the West Bank, to plead for the EU and UN to start air-dropping aid to Gaza in a sign of desperation.

"I call on the United Nations and the European Union to parachute aid into the Gaza Strip, especially the north," Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said.

Opinion

Peaceful Israel/Gaza protests are not 'national security' threat

Over the last month, moves by several European governments to curb expression and protest in response to the unprecedented violence in Israel and Gaza/West Bank appear designed stifle dissent, deny collective grief, and create a 'chilling effect', writes Amnesty International.

Russia loses seat on board of chemical weapons watchdog

Russia lost its seat on the board of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for the first time in the organisation's history — while Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania were elected to the executive council.

Opinion

'Loss and Damage' reparations still hang in balance at COP28

There is still work to be done — especially when it comes to guaranteeing the Global North's participation in financing Loss and Damage, and ensuring the Global South has representation and oversight on the World Bank's board.

Latest News

  1. Israel recalls ambassador to Spain in new diplomatic spat
  2. Migrant return bill 'obstructed' as EU states mull new position
  3. Paris and Berlin key to including rape in gender-violence directive
  4. What are the big money debates at COP28 UN climate summit?
  5. 'Pay or okay?' — Facebook & Instagram vs the EU
  6. EU offers Turkey upgrade, as Sweden nears Nato entry
  7. Russia loses seat on board of chemical weapons watchdog
  8. Finland's closure of Russia border likely violates asylum law

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us