A year after the attack of the Palestinian movement Hamas on Israel, the EU has not managed to find a common language, as in the case of Ukraine, that is, it is still divided and powerless as always, the Brussels portal Politiko writes today.
Today in Brussels, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will attend the commemoration of the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in which about 1.200 people were killed and about 250 hostages were taken to Gaza.
The weekend in the Middle East was marked by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and the bombing of Beirut, with Hezboh rockets flying into northern Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Israel has not ruled out striking Iran in retaliation for last week's missile attacks. "Everything is on the table," Galant told CNN.
In the meantime, thousands of people protested in Europe and around the world. Some rallied in solidarity with Israel and called for the release of the remaining hostages, but most demonstrated against Israeli military operations.
A year after the attack, the Middle East is on the brink of a wider war that would have major geopolitical consequences, writes Politiko. Israel's pursuit of Iran's proxies Hamas and Hezbollah has killed thousands of people in Gaza and Lebanon. The actions drew international criticism and exposed tensions with the US, Israel's most powerful ally, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined not to budge, arguing that Israel has the right and duty to defend itself.
Meanwhile, the EU, according to the Politika analysis, remains hopelessly divided over the conflict. Von der Leyen was heavily criticized a year ago for traveling to Israel in solidarity after the attacks, and some MEPs and diplomats are angry that she did not warn Tel Aviv of the humanitarian impact of retaliation against Hamas. Since then, the EU's attitude towards Israel has not been much more unified.
Namely, EU members are still deeply divided and have either pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian positions - while countries like Austria and Hungary are unwaveringly on the side of Israel, those like Ireland, Spain and Belgium are on the other side.
At the weekend, Irish President Michael Higgins called Israel's demand for the withdrawal of peacekeepers from southern Lebanon "outrageous". Ireland has 347 soldiers in the UN UNIFIL mission whose safety is threatened by Israeli military actions against Hezbollah, but Dublin is firmly committed to preserving peace.
Paris also stepped up its criticism of Israel and French President Emmanuel Macron called for an arms embargo on that country. Netanyahu responded sharply: "While Israel is fighting against the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should stand firm with it. However, President Macron and some other Western leaders are calling for an arms embargo on Israel. Shame on them."
Macron and Netanyahu then spoke by phone yesterday and the Israeli prime minister told the French president, according to Reuters, that imposing restrictions on Israel "will only strengthen Iran's axis of evil."
However, the French president did not withdraw his call for an embargo. Talks will continue as French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barot begins a four-day visit to the Middle East today.
Divisions can be seen in the EU system as well. In a statement on the occasion of the anniversary, von der Leyen emphasized that there can be no justification for the terrorist acts of Hamas and condemned those "barbaric attacks" in the strongest terms.
She repeated that she hoped for an immediate ceasefire and the release of the hostages. She also expressed regret over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and warned of a "spiral of violence" in the region.
On the other hand, the High Representative of the EU for foreign policy, Josep Borelj, has no planned speeches or events on October 7, according to his agenda.
"One year after the bloody attacks by Hamas, Europe is stuck between anger, sympathy and paralysis because of Israel's wars," Politico's analysis concludes, as reported by the Daily European Service.
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