Brussels, 29 November 2023
In Barcelona, the Spanish Foreign Minister Albares and the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, hosted representatives of the 43 Member States of this Union. Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia took also part in the meeting and presented the views of the Arab/Islamic Summit. Israel was regrettably absent. It has its full place in the Union for the Mediterranean and I hope that Israel will participate in these meetings again in the future.
A region haunted by trauma and rage
I shared with the participants the impressions from my recent mission to the Middle East. The region is again haunted by trauma and rage after the massacre of over 1,200 people in Israel and more than 200 taken hostage in Gaza on 7 October. As I explained last week in the European Parliament, what happened on this day was a pure act of terror, attacking defenceless civilians in a cold-blooded way. Nothing can ever justify killing unarmed civilians, including many women and children, in their sleep, abducting them or parading their dead bodies in the street.
However, one horror can never justify another.
We have witnessed in recent weeks another carnage in Gaza with more than 15,000 victims, primarily women and children. Large-scale bombardments have turned half of North-Gaza into rubble – this would correspond to the destruction of half of Barcelona.
International humanitarian law applies to everyone
The United Nations have described the situation in Gaza as a humanitarian catastrophe. However, it is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one, by depriving the population of basic goods and daily bombing of an intensity that can only be described as indiscriminate.
Israel has of course the right to defend itself against Hamas, but as former US President Obama recently said in an inspiring essay, “how Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters”. International humanitarian law applies to everyone, at all times, and without exception.
It should be possible to recognise Israel’s right to defend itself, and at the same time be outraged by what is happening to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. It should be possible to defend the right of the Palestinians to have a state, without being labelled anti-Semitic. It should be possible to criticise the policy of the Israeli government, because governments of any country can be criticised, without being accused of harming or disliking Jews.
The rules that all warring parties must abide by are not only moral imperatives but also binding legal obligations arising from the law of armed conflicts.
Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court has recalled that the rules that all warring parties must abide by are not only moral imperatives but also binding legal obligations arising from the law of armed conflicts. They cover the population’s access to basic needs and designate every school, every hospital, every church and every mosque as a protected place. The use of hospitals and civilians as human shields by Hamas is also a clear breach of International humanitarian law, as are the indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israel.
While our attention is necessarily focused on the catastrophic suffering in Gaza, we must not forget that the conflict is also deteriorating in the occupied West Bank. The many attacks perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and the illegal settlements in themselves are a grave breach of international humanitarian law. They are major obstacles to peace and continue to fuel tensions. In reality, they are a security liability for Israel.
A temporary ceasefire and partial hostage release
I have thanked Qatar, Egypt and the United States for their role in achieving the temporary ceasefire and partial hostage release, which took effect last Friday. For some of the hostages, a horrific ordeal is finally ending. When I was in Israel, I met some of their families. Their pain was unspeakable. The pause also allows bringing to Gaza shelters, food, medicines and other health supplies, which has been piling up on the Egyptian side of the border. But a lot more is needed and humanitarian aid must reach civilians in the whole Gaza strip without conditions.
I hope the truce will lead to the release of all hostages and that there will be no return to war, because there is no military solution to this conflict.
I hope the truce will lead to the release of all hostages and that there will be no return to war, because there is no military solution to this conflict. Hamas is not just a terrorist organisation. It is also an idea and you cannot kill an idea. The only way is to replace it with a better idea. And this idea must be a credible political prospect for statehood for the Palestinians. Those two peoples, Israelis and Palestinians, who have been fighting for the same land for more than 100 years, must and can live side by side, as we do after centuries of bloody wars between Europeans. No army can guarantee a country’s safety better than peace. Several decades of peace between Israel and Egypt and Jordan are proof of that.
A credible peace prospect for the ‘day after’
A Palestinian State living in peace and security with Israel is the best and only long-term guarantee for Israel’s security. Should we fail to bring it about, we will all suffer from the consequences, in the region, in Europe and beyond.
The meeting in Barcelona, with much of the Arab-world present, was a first occasion to start putting in place some cornerstones of the peace process we want to build.
For our Arab partners the immediate priority is an end to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. But the ‘day after’ will come.
The meeting in Barcelona, with much of the Arab-world present, was a first occasion to start putting in place some cornerstones of the peace process we want to build. With my co-Chair, Jordanian Foreign Minister Safadi, I did not expect that we would see eye to eye on everything, but in our joint statement, we agreed on the essence: the need for a two-state solution to bring peace to both peoples, Palestinians and Israelis.
Six points on which I believe we can all agree
We will continue our dialogue to define a credible peace prospect for the Middle East. There are already six points on which I believe we can all agree:
- First, there must not be a return of Hamas to Gaza. It has brought nothing but harm to everyone, including to Palestinians.
- Second, we oppose any change in the territory of Gaza or its military re-occupation by Israel.
- Third, illegal settlements in the West Bank must end and the unity of the Palestinian territory be maintained.
- Fourth, the return of revitalised Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza. This process will take time and requires a strong involvement from Arab countries, Europe, the United States and the entire international community.
- Fifth, the start of reconstruction immediately after the end of hostilities. To build peace, Palestinians need to see immediate improvements in their social and economic situation.
- Sixth, a final political settlement based on the two-state solution.
To make it a reality, we have to draw lessons from previous attempts and show political creativity. It is my conviction that we can only succeed with a strong involvement of the international community. We must build a coalition for peace including those Arab states that have the confidence of both parties, Europe and the United States. This time, our commitment to the two-state solution must be more than just a mantra.
Source – EEAS