The EU puts itself in profile assuming its inability to mediate before Israel

“I am very concerned about the situation in Israel and Gaza. I condemn the indiscriminate attacks by Hamas. Civilians on both sides must be protected and the violence must stop immediately.”. With these words, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, summarized today the Community position on one of the delicate, controversial and difficult issues to manage within the Union. These are the words of the president, in line with what has already been pointed out by the High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, but they are also those of the former Minister of Defense and the citizen of a country with a position as sensitive as Germany. Concern, condemnation of Hamas and request for an end to the violence, but without direct reproaches to Tel Aviv.

The case of Israel and Palestine is one of the clearest in which a fracture is perceived between the elites and the rest, between the rulers and the population, between the capitals and the institutions. The messages that come from Brussels are cautious, highly studied and all place special emphasis on the security situation in Israel.. The EU gives a lot of money to Palestine, it has very tense relations with the Israeli government, but at the same time diplomacy does everything in its power to keep a clear line.

“The indiscriminate firing of rockets from Hamas and other groups towards Israeli civilians is unacceptable.. While we recognize Israel's legitimate need to protect its civilian population, the response must be proportionate and with the utmost restraint in the use of force.. The EU calls for an immediate end to the current violence. Everything possible must be done to prevent a broader conflict, which will affect civilian populations on both sides first and foremost.. “In Jerusalem, the status quo in holy places must be respected and freedom of worship must be guaranteed,” says the latest statement from the high representative, Josep Borrell, published two days ago.

Borrell, who spent part of his youth in a kibbutz, showed his personal concern on Thursday during an act at the Elcano Royal Institute and let his opinion be seen: that this is yet another example of the “desperation of the Palestinian people”, who sees few solutions and little hope. However, the community message repeatedly puts pressure on Hamas, a group considered a terrorist by the US but ordered to be removed from the list of terrorist entities by the EU Court of Justice at the end of 2014..

Borrell had a “long and honest conversation” with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Thursday night.. “I reaffirmed the EU's support for Israel's security and we condemn the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas.. It is important that any response avoid civilian casualties. I am approaching the regional actors to contribute to the reduction of the escalation”, assured the high representative when finishing on his Twitter account.

“Only the US can mediate”

The Spaniard knows that his position is very weak, and he does not hide it. “Realistically, we do not have the capacity to mediate. Only the US can do that, assuming it wants to,” he acknowledged in an interview with Charles Powell, director of the Elcano Institute..

The EU has complicated relations with the Israeli government, which does not trust the institutions at all, which criticizes its position and its operations in the area, which regrets that most of the member states do not recognize Jerusalem as the capital and have not moved their embassies and trying to distance themselves. But also, to Borrell's headache, within the EU itself the position of the governments tends to be clearly aligned with Tel Aviv and this forces the statements to be more than measured and provoke disputes between diplomats..

Germany, Austria or the Czech Republic have expressed themselves criticizing Hamas and supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and their words, including Borrell's tweets, have been used as an example by Minister Ashkenazi himself on social networks as evidence of diplomatic support. international support for military measures in the Gaza Strip. Chancellor Angela Merkel, in particular, has had a lot of influence these days.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is the one who has tried, discreetly, to champion the most critical position, even calling the Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin, by phone this week to ask him to stop the rocket attacks and the demolition of buildings, a response that the EU does not consider proportionate, although it does not express it out loud or in condemnations.