“A real stinker”
EU states are drowning in the Israel and Ukraine dispute
October 26, 2023, 7:27 p.m
The EU states are still mostly in agreement on the issue of attacking Ukraine, but there is trouble at the summit because of Viktor Orban, who is once again deviating. However, the issue of Israel and Gaza still clearly divides the members of the European Union – a common guideline seems a long way off.
Babylonian linguistic confusion is another friendly expression for the current state of the European Union. There are about as many attitudes to the Middle East war as there are languages. The division became clear at the EU summit in Brussels. The Russian war of aggression also continues to cause disputes. Hungary’s troublemaker Viktor Orban gave Ukraine a verbal “finger” as summit participants criticized.
In Brussels, Chancellor Olaf Scholz demonstratively supported Israel, which is “a democratic state with very humanitarian principles.” He has “no doubt” that the Israeli army observes the rules of international law. Around ten days ago, Scholz was the first head of government to pay a solidarity visit to Israel after the brutal attack by the radical Islamic Hamas, which was hard to surpass, and in doing so reaffirmed a principle of German politics: “The security of Israel and its citizens is German raison d’être.”
In the EU, Germany sees itself in line with Austria and the Czech Republic. Hungary and even Italy under the post-fascist Giorgia Meloni also support Israel. Other – traditionally pro-Palestinian – member states such as Belgium, Spain and Ireland are much more critical of Israel’s actions. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, for example, said with regard to the Israeli air strikes: “The suffering we see in Gaza is unacceptable.” Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander de Croo harshly attacked Israel over the closure of the Gaza Strip.
Doubts about European role in the conflict
The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, is actually supposed to set the guidelines for European foreign policy. The Spaniard largely succeeded in this in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. With his demands for ever more military aid for Kiev and tougher sanctions, he not only drove the federal government ahead of him. In the Middle East war, however, Borrell sidelined himself with statements that were criticized as one-sided. A planned trip to Israel fell through because Benjamin Netanyahu’s government disinvited him because of what they considered to be too pro-Palestinian stance, diplomats report privately.
This raises the question of who actually speaks for “Team Europe,” as it is often called in Brussels. Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn questions whether the Europeans can still be “players” in the Middle East because of their division, even if they make the largest aid payments to the Palestinians. This leaves only the USA as a mediator.
US President Joe Biden has so far played this role “incredibly skillfully,” as some in the EU recognize. He pledged support to Israel after the traumatic Hamas attack. At the same time, he called on the country not to repeat the “mistakes” made by the USA after the Islamist terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and to wage hopeless wars like in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“That’s a real stinker”
At the EU summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban took advantage of the EU’s disunity to once again enjoy showing off his partners. The right-wing populist said he was “proud” of his “peace strategy” – but he didn’t mean the Middle East, but rather the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in China, which was met with dismay in the EU.
Once again, Xavier Bettel from Luxembourg spoke plainly, taking part in an EU summit for the last time after an election defeat. About Orban’s comments, he said: “This is a real dig at a country that suffers every day from Russian missiles and weapons.”