ANPEU meeting room
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 09:49
Kysia Hekster
European Union Correspondent
Ardy Stemerding
EU-correspond
Kysia Hekster
European Union Correspondent
Ardy Stemerding
EU-correspond
There would be talk about expanding the European Union, but at the summit that starts this afternoon in Brussels, government leaders will mainly talk about the war between Israel and Hamas. Previously, it was not possible to get all countries on the same page. The big question is whether they will succeed today in reaching a joint call for temporary breaks in the fighting.
Such a “humanitarian pause” could mean a temporary cessation of fighting on a daily basis. Humanitarian aid could then enter the Gaza Strip in a period of a few hours. People could also be evacuated.
Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte has been sent to Brussels by the House of Representatives with the assignment to argue for “humanitarian breaks”. Part of the House of Representatives wanted to go further. D66 and GroenLinks-PvdA, among others, want an end to any use of weapons between Israel and Hamas: a “real” ceasefire.
For weeks, the European Union has been trying to act united in the debate on the war between Israel and Hamas. With the emphasis on ‘trying’, because so far we have mainly seen a divided EU.
Opinions also differ on a call for temporary pauses in fighting. At the beginning of this week, foreign ministers in Luxembourg attempted to make a statement, but that failed.
On the one hand, there were countries such as Ireland and Belgium that wanted a more far-reaching ceasefire. On the other hand, the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany did not want to put too much pressure on Israel and mainly emphasized that Hamas must be stopped. They are also afraid that aid supplies could fall into the hands of the militant movement, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the EU.
New attempt
Today, EU countries are making a new attempt to reach agreement. In the preliminary conclusions of the European summit, in the hands of the NIS, the leaders once again emphasize that humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip is essential. And that’s why they’re calling for a “humanitarian pause.”
But whether this call remains valid in the final conclusion remains to be seen. Such a declaration will only be made at European summits if all countries agree. A final statement is often negotiated at word level until the last moment.
The fact that the declaration is made is “very important”, says a senior EU diplomat. “We have Europeans among the hostages and among the people trapped in Gaza. We have to take good care of that.”
Ceasefire or pause in fighting?
Various calls have been made to the outgoing cabinet from the factions in the House of Representatives. Some, such as GroenLinks-PvdA, want the Netherlands to call for a ceasefire. Other calls, such as those from Defense Minister Ollongren and the VVD, concern pauses in combat. Foreign Minister Bruins Slot again speaks of a humanitarian pauses.
Although they use different words, most parties want the same thing: to enable humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. The choice of words is careful because there is no clear or legal meaning of a ceasefire or pause in fighting. A call from a political party or country can therefore quickly be misunderstood.
In general, a ceasefire is an agreement between two warring countries that want to negotiate peace with each other. A humanitarian pause may be declared by one or more of the warring parties (for certain hours/days or in certain places) to bring aid to civilians or civilians to safer territory.
2023-10-26 07:49:03
#leaders #agree #humanitarian #pause #Gaza
