Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says there’s ‘some truth’ to accusations that EU employs a double-standard on Gaza.
A rising variety of nations within the European Union have expressed help for a humanitarian ceasefire within the Israel-Hamas struggle as Israel’s assault on Gaza plunges the Palestinian territory right into a dire humanitarian crisis.
In remarks on Tuesday at an EU summit targeted largely on Ukraine, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar urged his colleagues to take a firmer stance and name for an finish to the preventing between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas within the besieged Gaza Strip.
“I think the European Union has lost credibility because of our inability to take a stronger and more united position on Israel and Palestine,” Varadkar stated.
“We’ve lost credibility at the Global South, which actually is most of the world, because of what is perceived to be double standards. And there’s some truth in that, quite frankly.”
Earlier than the summit, Varadkar and the prime ministers of Spain, Belgium, and Malta wrote to European Council President Charles Michel asking him to host a “serious debate” concerning the Israel-Hamas struggle and the “humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.”
“We must call urgently for all the parties to declare a lasting humanitarian cease-fire that can lead to an end of hostilities,” the 4 leaders wrote.
The feedback got here a number of days after a big majority of countries represented on the United Nations Normal Meeting voted in favour of a decision calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and the variety of Palestinians killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza handed 18,000, most of them ladies and kids. The decision handed with 153 nations in help, 23 abstaining, and 10 voting towards it.
In Tuesday’s UN vote, 17 EU nations have been amongst people who backed the decision for a ceasefire. In October, solely eight had backed a decision calling for a truce.
Varadkar insisted {that a} ceasefire may lead “to a new peace process and Palestinian statehood, which is the only way to secure justice and security for everyone living in the region.”
Spanish Socialist chief Pedro Sánchez, whose nation at the moment holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, backed his Irish colleague.
“Europe has to speak out … in a clear, strong, firm and unified voice,” he stated.
The present spherical of preventing started on October 7 when Hamas launched an assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 individuals, principally civilians, and took about 240 others captive.
Israel responded with a devastating assault on Gaza, bombarding the territory and launching a floor offensive, claiming that it seeks to topple Hamas.
The Hamas assault was widely condemned, and Israel acquired robust worldwide backing for its struggle towards Hamas from the USA and several other European nations.
However because the Israeli assault continued, resulting in dire humanitarian situations and displacing greater than 80 p.c of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, some allies have tempered their help with rising warnings concerning the toll on civilians.
Western nations have additionally been accused of using a double-standard, chastising Russia for violations of worldwide legislation throughout its invasion of Ukraine however comparatively muted when confronted with related acts by Israel.
Talking on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden stated that Israel dangers losing support resulting from “indiscriminate bombing” in a uncommon second of sharp criticism.
However regardless of mounting international pressure, Israel has proven no indicators of cutting down its preventing in Gaza, the place UN officers have described situations as “hell on earth”.
On Thursday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the preventing in Gaza would final “more than several months”.
