EU affirms Israel’s right to self-defense, within international law
27 member states stress need to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza Strip while ensuring supplies not be exploited by terror groups
Leaders of the 27 European Union member states on Sunday stressed “Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law” against the “violent and indiscriminate attacks” by the Hamas terror group.
“We reiterate the importance of the provision of urgent humanitarian aid and stand ready to continue supporting those civilians most in need in Gaza… ensuring that such assistance is not abused by terrorist organizations,” the statement said.
“It is crucial to prevent regional escalation” of the conflict, it added.
The joint statement was adopted two days ahead of an emergency video summit of the member nations called by European Council President Charles Michel.
“The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel and deeply deplores the loss of lives,” it said, while also calling for “the protection of all civilians at all times.”
EU leaders said they “remain committed to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution through reinvigorated efforts in the Middle East Peace Process.”
The joint position comes days after a visit to Israel by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which drew criticism from some diplomats and European deputies.
Addressing von der Leyen in a message on X, formerly Twitter, French MEP Nathalie Loiseau wrote Saturday: “Yes, Israel has the right to defend itself against bloodthirsty terrorists.
“You are forgetting an important message: Israel must respect international humanitarian law.”
In the eight days since Hamas terrorists murdered more than 1,300 Israelis in a devastating onslaught, Israel has responded with an intense bombing campaign that has claimed over 2,600 lives in Gaza, which it says is aimed at destroying Hamas infrastructure.
Israel has warned more than one million northern Gaza residents to flee to the south of the territory ahead of expected ground battles focused in and around Gaza City.
Around 150-200 hostages are also being held in the Gaza Strip from Hamas’s brutal onslaught.
War erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw at least 1,500 terrorists burst across the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea, killing over 1,300 people and seizing 150-200 hostages of all ages under the cover of a deluge of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities.
The vast majority of those killed as gunmen seized border communities were civilians — men, women, children and the elderly. Entire families were executed in their homes, and over 260 were slaughtered at an outdoor festival, many amid horrific acts of brutality by the terrorists, in what US President Joe Biden has highlighted as “the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
