European Union

Leaders to meet as EU struggles to put on united front over Israel-Hamas
war

Emergency meeting called after a week of rows including over Ursula von der
Leyen’s trip to Israel

Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels
@lisaocarroll
Tue 17 Oct 2023 05.00 BST

An emergency meeting of the heads of EU member states has been called on
Tuesday in an effort to “harmonise” the bloc’s response to the conflict in
Israel and Gaza after a week of dysfunction and division.

As fears grow over the risk of a wider war and a humanitarian catastrophe
in the region, EU member states admit they have struggled to put on a
united front as they did in February 2023 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

The European Council president, Charles Michel, issued a joint statement on
Sunday after a weekend of frantic calls to all 27 member states, but after
a week of rows over funding for Palestine and Ursula von der Leyen’s visit
to Israel, insiders say the lack of coordination in the past week cannot
continue.

There are concerns that the conflict in Israel and Gaza will weaken the
coalition of support that the EU had built in the global south involving
countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It could also impede efforts
to advance the Ukrainian peace process.

With the stakes so high, member states are increasing their efforts to keep
foreign policy coordinated and on track and will meet by video on Tuesday
to progress plans for humanitarian support and other issues.

Insiders say there would have been no emergency summit were it not for a
series of missteps in the last week in Brussels.

There have been criticism of the European Commission president Von der
Leyen’s forthright statements on Israel. She repeatedly defended the
country’s right to defend itself in the fact of a terrorist attack but it
was days before she also called on Israel to respect international law in
its defence.

Such an omission caused anger in some countries, while others complained in
phone calls to Michel’s team about overreach and the commission’s failure
to consult it on such an important foreign policy topic as Israel.

The complaint had echoes of divisions that erupted last month when the high
representative for foreign policy, Josep Borrell, complained that member
states were not consulted regarding the migration pact that Von der Leyen,
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and the Netherlands’ Mark Rutte sealed with Tunisia.

A lack of coordination in a time of crisis can be forgiven but in the last
week tensions have spilled out into the open. Michel took umbrage that not
only had he, the member states’ representative in Brussels, not been
invited to join Von der Leyen in Israel over the weekend but he had not
been consulted about the trip either.

“The first he knew about it was when calls starting coming in from the
press,” said an insider. They pointed out that it is the European Council,
not the commission, that has the legal mandate to create foreign policy.

Von der Leyen’s supporters said Borrell, who takes his instructions from
the member states but sits in the commission, was “strongly encouraged” to
visit Israel but he was otherwise engaged on a trip to China.

They also said nobody complained about overreach into foreign policy when
she visited Ukraine after Russia’s invasion or when she pushed for
sanctions.

“I think you have to be fair to her. She pushed the envelope on sanctions
and people were saying it was great they had someone in charge, a leader,”
said one.

It is understood that the EU, which has just announced a tripling of
humanitarian funds for the Middle East, stands ready to quickly move with
support on potential refugee camps in Egypt.

There is a recognition in Von der Leyen’s office that errors have been made
in the past week, including a rogue post by the Hungarian commissioner for
enlargement and neighbourhood, Olivér Várhelyi, who announced that “all
payments” were being cancelled to Palestine.

He did not consult Von der Leyen or fellow commissioners, a move considered
a mistake by senior colleagues.

The commission and member states are extremely concerned about the fate of
EU citizens who have been taken hostage by Hamas and the estimated 1,000 EU
civilians in Gaza, many of whom work for NGOs. And there are worries about
antisemitism and hate crimes increasing in home territories.

Ukraine, too, is a huge concern. While the US and the EU’s support for the
country has not faltered, a wider war in the Middle East will cause
competition not just for military support but for political attention, say
insiders.

<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/leaders-to-meet-as-eu-struggles-to-put-on-united-front-over-israel-hamas-war>

--
Spike

On 18/10/2023 10:19 am, Spike wrote:
>
> European Union
>
> Leaders to meet as EU struggles to put on united front over Israel-Hamas
> war
>
> Emergency meeting called after a week of rows including over Ursula von der
> Leyen’s trip to Israel
>
> Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels
> @lisaocarroll
> Tue 17 Oct 2023 05.00 BST
>
> An emergency meeting of the heads of EU member states has been called on
> Tuesday in an effort to “harmonise” the bloc’s response to the conflict in
> Israel and Gaza after a week of dysfunction and division.
>
> As fears grow over the risk of a wider war and a humanitarian catastrophe
> in the region, EU member states admit they have struggled to put on a
> united front as they did in February 2023 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
>
> The European Council president, Charles Michel, issued a joint statement on
> Sunday after a weekend of frantic calls to all 27 member states, but after
> a week of rows over funding for Palestine and Ursula von der Leyen’s visit
> to Israel, insiders say the lack of coordination in the past week cannot
> continue.
>
> There are concerns that the conflict in Israel and Gaza will weaken the
> coalition of support that the EU had built in the global south involving
> countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It could also impede efforts
> to advance the Ukrainian peace process.
>
> With the stakes so high, member states are increasing their efforts to keep
> foreign policy coordinated and on track and will meet by video on Tuesday
> to progress plans for humanitarian support and other issues.
>
> Insiders say there would have been no emergency summit were it not for a
> series of missteps in the last week in Brussels.
>
> There have been criticism of the European Commission president Von der
> Leyen’s forthright statements on Israel. She repeatedly defended the
> country’s right to defend itself in the fact of a terrorist attack but it
> was days before she also called on Israel to respect international law in
> its defence.
>
> Such an omission caused anger in some countries, while others complained in
> phone calls to Michel’s team about overreach and the commission’s failure
> to consult it on such an important foreign policy topic as Israel.
>
> The complaint had echoes of divisions that erupted last month when the high
> representative for foreign policy, Josep Borrell, complained that member
> states were not consulted regarding the migration pact that Von der Leyen,
> Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and the Netherlands’ Mark Rutte sealed with Tunisia.
>
> A lack of coordination in a time of crisis can be forgiven but in the last
> week tensions have spilled out into the open. Michel took umbrage that not
> only had he, the member states’ representative in Brussels, not been
> invited to join Von der Leyen in Israel over the weekend but he had not
> been consulted about the trip either.
>
> “The first he knew about it was when calls starting coming in from the
> press,” said an insider. They pointed out that it is the European Council,
> not the commission, that has the legal mandate to create foreign policy.
>
> Von der Leyen’s supporters said Borrell, who takes his instructions from
> the member states but sits in the commission, was “strongly encouraged” to
> visit Israel but he was otherwise engaged on a trip to China.
>
> They also said nobody complained about overreach into foreign policy when
> she visited Ukraine after Russia’s invasion or when she pushed for
> sanctions.
>
> “I think you have to be fair to her. She pushed the envelope on sanctions
> and people were saying it was great they had someone in charge, a leader,”
> said one.
>
> It is understood that the EU, which has just announced a tripling of
> humanitarian funds for the Middle East, stands ready to quickly move with
> support on potential refugee camps in Egypt.
>
> There is a recognition in Von der Leyen’s office that errors have been made
> in the past week, including a rogue post by the Hungarian commissioner for
> enlargement and neighbourhood, Olivér Várhelyi, who announced that “all
> payments” were being cancelled to Palestine.
>
> He did not consult Von der Leyen or fellow commissioners, a move considered
> a mistake by senior colleagues.
>
> The commission and member states are extremely concerned about the fate of
> EU citizens who have been taken hostage by Hamas and the estimated 1,000 EU
> civilians in Gaza, many of whom work for NGOs. And there are worries about
> antisemitism and hate crimes increasing in home territories.
>
> Ukraine, too, is a huge concern. While the US and the EU’s support for the
> country has not faltered, a wider war in the Middle East will cause
> competition not just for military support but for political attention, say
> insiders.
>
> <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/leaders-to-meet-as-eu-struggles-to-put-on-united-front-over-israel-hamas-war>

Wrong NG?

JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
> On 18/10/2023 10:19 am, Spike wrote:
>>
>> European Union
>>
>> Leaders to meet as EU struggles to put on united front over Israel-Hamas
>> war

>> <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/leaders-to-meet-as-eu-struggles-to-put-on-united-front-over-israel-hamas-war>

> Wrong NG?

I thought this was an EU-supporting group, so presumed this might be of
interest ;-)

We hear so much from certain quarters how wonderful the EU is, after all…

--
Spike

On 18/10/2023 04:55 pm, Spike wrote:

> JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
>> On 18/10/2023 10:19 am, Spike wrote:
>
>>> European Union
>
>>> Leaders to meet as EU struggles to put on united front over Israel-Hamas
>>> war
>
>>> <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/leaders-to-meet-as-eu-struggles-to-put-on-united-front-over-israel-hamas-war>
>
>> Wrong NG?
>
> I thought this was an EU-supporting group, so presumed this might be of
> interest ;-)
>
> We hear so much from certain quarters how wonderful the EU is, after all…

OK!