Hungary on Tuesday prevented European Union (EU) foreign ministers from jointly calling for a ceasefire on the escalating Israel-Palestine conflict by rejecting a formal statement by the bloc on the matter. Budapest is the Israeli government’s closest ally in the EU and refused to join the other 26 ministers in demanding a truce in the ongoing conflict.
Despite Hungary’s opposition, the bloc nevertheless vowed to help advance the peace process. “The priority is the immediate cessation of all violence and implementation of a ceasefire. The purpose is to protect civilians to give full humanitarian access in Gaza,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement following a virtual meeting with European foreign ministers. The diplomat also condemned Hamas’ rocket attacks against Israel and expressed the bloc’s support for Israel’s right to self-defence.” However, Borrell also stressed that any response has to be taken “in a proportionate manner and [while] respecting international humanitarian law,” and said that Palestinians had a right to security as well.
Gazan militant groups—Hamas and the Islamic Jihad—began firing rockets at Israel last week following protests in East Jerusalem over the forced evictions of hundreds of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and Israeli police action at Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is one of the holiest sites in Islam. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have responded to the attacks with a forceful aerial offensive, exacting horrific consequences on innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. At least 200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since May 10, including more than 60 children, with thousands injured. On the Israeli side, at least 10 people have died, including two children. Despite international calls for a ceasefire, violence has continued unabated.
Borrell said that the level of violence underway was “unacceptable,” and that there was an urgent need to curb the hostilities. However, he noted that this could not guarantee a solution for the larger crisis and emphasised the importance of: “exploring space for re-engagement between the parties; developing confidence-building measures; improving living conditions of the people and opening the path towards the potential of launching of the peace process.” The leader further noted that he was in touch with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the issue, as well as other members of the Middle East Quartet (which includes, Russia, the US, the UN and the EU).
While most other foreign ministers agreed with Borrell’s assessments, Hungarian FM Peter Szijjártó lambasted the bloc for its “one-sided” comments on Israel. “I have a general problem with these European statements on Israel… These are usually very much one-sided, and these statements do not help, especially not under current circumstances, when the tension is so high,” Szijjártó told AFP in an interview. Hungary has been at odds with the bloc for some time now over judicial independence, LGBTQ+ rights and rule of law, and has consistently slammed the EU for its criticisms of Budapest. The diplomat made his grievances clear on Tuesday, saying, “EU diplomacy should not consist only of judgements, negative statements and sanctions… So I think less interference and more pragmatic cooperation could give back a lot of strength to the European Union.”
Hungary Blocks EU Joint Resolution on Israel-Palestine Conflict
Budapest is the Israeli government’s closest ally in the EU and refused to join the other 26 ministers in demanding a truce in the ongoing hostilities.
May 19, 2021
SOURCE: MIDDLE EAST ONLINE