Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Malta urge Gaza ceasefire call in EU summit
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After the US vetoed the UNSC resolution in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza, the four EU states urge EU leaders to deliberate on the situation in Gaza during the upcoming summit.
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European Union flags flutter in the wind at EU headquarters in Brussels, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. (AP)
In a letter addressed to the chairman of EU summits, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Malta are calling on EU leaders to debate the situation in Gaza during the upcoming summit on December 14-15 in Brussels.
The leaders of these four countries are advocating for a joint appeal for a lasting humanitarian ceasefire to bring an end to the war.
The broader summit agenda encompasses discussions on supporting Ukraine, revising the EU's long-term budget, and addressing the ongoing situation in the Middle East.
The letter addressed to the European Council President Charles Michel, who chairs EU summits, stressed the seriousness of the war on Gaza and the possibility of the war spreading across the region.
According to a Reuters-reviewed letter, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Malta are urging EU leaders to collectively adopt a unified stance, urgently calling for a lasting humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza that would bring an end to hostilities.
The numbers from the bombing campaign in #Gaza near those we saw in the #US and #UK's bombing campaigns on #German cities in #WWII, despite the Israeli occupation's possession of much more advanced and precise weapons to prevent that kind of destruction.#PalestineGenocide… pic.twitter.com/NY2Ltrnckf
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 7, 2023
The letter emphasizes the need for immediate measures to protect civilians in Gaza. Notably critical of "Israel's" conduct in the war, the four countries are also advocating for the prompt convening of an "international peace conference" on Gaza to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside "Israel".
Additionally, the four countries stressed that to prevent violence from spreading into the West Bank, the assets of violent Israeli settlers who are attacking displaced Palestinian communities should be frozen.
US vetoes UNSC resolution
This comes after the United States on Friday vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, "diplomatically" shielding its ally.
The US deputy representative at the UN, Robert Wood, said the resolution was "divorced from reality" and "would have not moved the needle forward on the ground."
The #US has a long history of using its veto power to block any resolution that could harm the Israeli occupation.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 9, 2023
Here are some of these incidents.#Palestine #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/fK9GmYpoUY
Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of a brief draft resolution, presented through the UAE, and Britain abstained. The vote came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked the UN charter’s Article 99 for it on Wednesday.
"The United Arab Emirates is deeply disappointed," said the representative of the UAE who had sponsored the resolution calling for a ceasefire.
Aftermath of the meeting
In response, hiding behind the US support, the Israeli occupation's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said that he thanked Washington and US President Joe Biden for vetoing the resolution.
"I thank the United States and President Biden for standing firmly by our side, today and showing their leadership and values," he posted on X.
However, after the US vetoed the draft resolution, Human Rights Watch UN director, Louis Charbonneau, took to X to point out that "by continuing to provide Israel with weapons and diplomatic cover as it commits atrocities, including collectively punishing the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza, the US risks complicity in war crimes."
Russia’s deputy UN envoy Dmitry Polyanskiy indicated that by blocking a call for a ceasefire, the United States signed a death sentence for thousands.
"It would be no exaggeration to say that today will become one of the darkest days in the history of the Middle East," Polyanskiy expressed during a UNSC meeting on the situation in Gaza.
