Two months after the 7 October attacks, the war in Gaza is no longer making the front pages in European newspapers. We listened to German radio yesterday morning. There was no mention whatsoever of what is happening in Israel and Gaza. Nor does it feature on the agenda of next week’s EU summit. And yet every day there is more death, destruction, and the possibility of an escalation in the region. Why this silence from the EU, which is usually so keen on defending human rights? There is a positive and a negative reading of this.

The positive is that real diplomatic efforts to end this war are happening behind closed doors without the media. The more negative reading is that European governments are not in the room, preferring to bury their heads in the sand and wait for the US to lead. It is most likely that what we are seeing is a mixture of both.

The war in Gaza throws up plenty of moral dilemmas and questions for western societies. Is our discourse over human rights nothing but an abstract notion that bears no consequences when it counts? Instead of being a voice of reason, the German and French government just content themselves with talking about humanitarian aid, but not about a ceasefire even after two months into the conflict. How long will the world have to wait for Israel to stop the bombardments in Gaza? Deadlines were set and missed without much consequences. Another month means accepting the death of thousands of more civilians. These are not just numbers, but stories of loss for families that will define the rest of their lives. The lack of pressure from western countries also risks amplifying the conflict within the Arab world, where leaders find it increasingly hard to justify their restrained position in this conflict to their people.

There are moral consequences inside EU countries too. We are shocked to see that Germany would accept to compromise on its freedom of speech to silence pro-Palestine protests, and even Jews critical of the Israeli government’s war strategy. Is there no distinction between the support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and support for a state? Does being critical mean being antisemitic? Does our solidarity with Israel equate with unqualified support for the government’s military operation, with its large-scale destruction in Gaza, and displacement and deaths of Palestinian civilians? What moral force will we have to judge Russia or others for their crimes against humanity?

This war should never have been about taking sides. Europe’s role is to remind Israel of the bigger picture. Eradicating Hamas is unachievable with the strategy the Israeli Defence Forces are pursuing. Creating suffering and hunger in Gaza will only be a breading ground for more terrorism, not less. Even the German foreign minister Analena Baerbock is now openly admitting this on German TV. There are other militias to worry about too. Israel’s defence minister evokes the possibility of a front against Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which could then draw Iran into the conflict. 

The EU’s summit this week is an opportunity to talk about Gaza. It is up to member states to see the EU in a bigger picture, and not only talk about the reform of the stability pact and the EU-candidacy status of Ukraine. Ahead of the summit, the prime ministers of Belgium, Spain, Ireland and Malta urged in a letter to Charles Michel that the EU needs to take a ‘clear and strong’ position on the war between Hamas and Israel this week. Europe’s credibility is at stake, the letter says, calling for an immediate measures to protect Gaza civilians and an international peace conference on Gaza as soon as possible.

The EU’s diplomatic service, the EEAS, also prepared a roadmap outlining a range of possible next steps for EU member states to discuss this week. The document, as seen by Euractiv, includes a new mission in support of international efforts to stabilise Gaza, a stronger push for a two-state solution, reinvigorating the Palestinian Authority, and targeting Hamas finances and misinformation. Josep Borrell also warned about the increase in settler violence in the West Bank since October 7.

The paper suggests an EU response could include EU travel bans for those responsible and other sanctions for violating human rights. Some countries like France signalled earlier that they would support such a ban, but officials do not expect unanimity, as countries like Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary are unlikely to agree.

The blueprints for peace talks are there. Arab states and Europeans at an EU-Med meeting in November found wide consensus that a two-state solution should be the answer to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Israel boycotted the meeting. It is high time to work towards this solution, and to get Israel to the table.

Vir: Eurointelligence