The day after the barbaric attacks by Hamas on Israel, the EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, Oliver Varhelyi of Hungary, announced the suspension of aid to the Palestinians. He was soon rebuffed by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and by several countries and members of the European Parliament. In the end, it was decided to “revise” European aid to the Palestinians rather than suspend it. At the same time, the EU announced an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the establishment of an air bridge to deliver it via Egypt.
This sequence of events illustrates the extent to which, on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the unity of the 27 Member States remains difficult to achieve. While the EU’s unanimously condemned of the attacks and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, shortly after Ursula von der Leyen was criticised for having visited Israel to show support without expressing concern about the fate of the Palestinians in Gaza.
