This is a timeline which is meant to accompany the article titled ‘How Europe betrayed Palestine‘.
Council of the European Union ticker:
7 October, 2023: statement published on behalf all of the European Union to condemn, “in the strongest possible terms”, the Hamas terror attacks of that same day, calling for “an immediate cessation of these senseless attacks and violence which will only further increase tensions on the ground” and “seriously undermine Palestinian people’s aspirations for peace”.
A post from the EU Council’s Facebook page the day after Hamas’ attacks.
10 October, 2023: at the 27th meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council – EU Joint Council meeting, the Joint Council condemned “all attacks against civilians” and citing concerns about potential breaches of international humanitarian laws. It urged an end to the conflict, the release of hostages and allowing access to food, water and medicines, calling for the revival of the Middle East peace process and the implementation of the two-state solution based on 1967 lines. It further called for “the maintenance of the historical and religious status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem, a just and fair settlement for refugees, and sustained financial support for UNRWA, the Palestinian Authority, and for the humanitarian and development needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
14 October, 2023: President of the EU Council Charles Michel writes to the members of the Council ahead of a video conference to emphasise the Council’s need to “set a common position and establish a clear unified course of action that reflects the complexity of the unfolding situation”.
Michel categorically states that “there is no justification for terror” and that the Council “stands in full solidarity with Israel and the victims of the terrorist attacks”.
15 October, 2023: the Council adopts a common position, reiterating its condemnation for Hamas’ attacks across Israel and specifically emphasising Israel’s “right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law in the face of such violent and indiscriminate attacks”.
The Council called for Hamas to release all hostages, the provision of urgent humanitarian aid, provided that “such assistance is not abused by terrorist organisations”.
19 October, 2023: the Council triggers its own Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) mechanism, which is meant to support fast and coordinated policy decision-making.
21 October, 2023: President Charles Michel gives a speech at the Cairo Peace Summit, reiterating the Council’s condemnation of Hamas’ attacks and its call for the release of all hostages. He also listed three key priorities: opening up humanitarian corridors for aid and refugees, the need to prevent the escalation of regional tensions, and move all concerned parties towards a two-state solution.
At the same time, the President reiterated Israel’s “right to defend itself” in line with international humanitarian laws.
25 October, 2023: Michel yet again reiterates the Council’s common position in a letter sent to members of the Council. The Council formally reaffirms its previous conclusions the following day.
8 November, 2023: presenting a report to the European Parliament, President Charles Michel ups the anti-Hamas rhetoric a notch, arguing that the EU must do anything it can to ensure it “does not let such a terrorist attack happen again” and that “Hamas must not have any future in governing Gaza”. While the argument for Israel’s “right to defend itself” is made yet again, as the death toll climbed, a brief acknowledgement of Israel’s disproportionate retaliation is made:
“A total siege is not in line with international law. We call for humanitarian pauses and corridors in Gaza because humanitarian aid must get to those in need, urgently.”
9 November, 2023: Michel reiterates condemnation for Hamas’ attacks during Paris’ International Humanitarian Conference for Gaza’s Civilian Population, further emphasising that “there can be no double standards” and that all innocent lives which are being targeted during the attacks must be safeguarded.
European Commission ticker:
7 October, 2023: statement published on behalf all of the European Union to condemn, “in the strongest possible terms”, the Hamas terror attacks of that same day, calling for “an immediate cessation of these senseless attacks and violence which will only further increase tensions on the ground” and “seriously undermine Palestinian people’s aspirations for peace”.
A Facebook post from the EU Commission’s page the day after Hamas’ attacks.
9 October, 2023: the EU Commission announces an “urgent review” of its financial assistance for Palestine aimed at ensuring that “no EU funding indirectly enables any terrorist organisation to carry out attacks against Israel” and assess whether its aid for Palestinian authorities was adequate.
12 October, 2023: both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announce a joint solidarity visit to Israel. They visit the following day, on 13 October.
13 October, 2023: in a press conference held with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, von der Leyen unequivocally sticks up for Israel, arguing that Hamas wishes to “eradicate Jewish life from the land”, that “Israel has the right to defend itself”, and that Europe’s “only possible response” is to stand with Israel. In her speech, she makes no mention of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land. She gave a similar speech on the same day in a press conference held with Metsola and Israeli president Herzog.
14 October, 2023: after endorsing Israel’s brutal retaliation for Hamas’ terror attacks, the European Commission decided to triple its humanitarian aid funding to Gaza, increasing the budget to €75 million. The stated aim was to ensure that citizens in Gaza will receive basic necessities while under siege.
16 October, 2023: as the situation deteriorated exponentially, the EU Commission announced an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge consisting of several flights to Egypt to bring lifesaving supplies to humanitarian organisations on the ground in Gaza. By now, the rhetoric is already a bit more muddied: the Commission is now making it a point to solely blame Hamas for the humanitarian situation in Gaza without referring to Israel’s history of oppression in the region.
17 October, 2023: in her speech at an urgent European Council meeting, von der Leyen doubles down on her diplomatic tightrope act: “there is no contradiction in standing in solidarity with Israel and acting for the humanitarian needs of the Palestinians”, she declared. She repeated the same exact lines the following day during a speech she gave during a plenary session of the European Parliament.
27 October, 2023: during a joint press conference with EU Council President Charles Michel, held a day after a session with the European Council, von der Leyen reiterates the EU’s position on Israel’s genocide in Gaza: “Israel is a democracy, attacked by Hamas, a terrorist organisation”. She further added: “Israel has the right of self-defence, in line with international law and international humanitarian law”. On the same day, more humanitarian aid flights are announced.
A Facebook post from the EU Commission’s page highlighting the first humanitarian aid flights.
5 November, 2023: the EU Commission condemns the rise in “antisemitic incidents in Europe”, describing violent acts against Jewish people which were reported in Germany, Austria and Spain.
6 November, 2023: the EU Commission further increases humanitarian aid funding in Gaza to €100 million.
10 November, 2023: an additional six humanitarian air bridge flights are announced.
European Parliament ticker:
7 October, 2023: statement published on behalf all of the European Union to condemn, “in the strongest possible terms”, the Hamas terror attacks of that same day, calling for “an immediate cessation of these senseless attacks and violence which will only further increase tensions on the ground” and “seriously undermine Palestinian people’s aspirations for peace”.
11 October, 2023: President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola gives a speech in solidarity with the victims of Hamas’ terrorist attack on 7 October. Metsola condemned the attacks, arguing that “there is no justification for terrorism”. She visited Israel with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen two days later.
A Facebook post from the European Parliament’s page showing photos of Metsola and von der Leyen’s joint visit to Israel.
16 October, 2023: in her opening remarks at an EP plenary session, Metsola stated that “Hamas is a terrorist group that does not represent the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people” and that Parliament must “keep looking for solutions to the humanitarian consequences in Gaza in line with our obligations and international laws”.
17 October, 2023: Metsola reiterates her position as stated in her opening remarks at the plenary the previous day, arguing that the European Parliament must push for “a fair two-state solution” as a means to the end of “sustainable and lasting peace”.
19 October, 2023: with 500 votes in favour, 21 votes against, and 24 abstentions, MEPs vote for a resolution that condemned Hamas’ attacks, called for the immediate release of all hostages, and recognised “Israel’s right to defend itself” according to international law.
26 October, 2023: walking the same diplomatic tightrope as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Metsola stated that “taking a strong stance against terror and making all efforts to alleviate Gaza’s humanitarian crisis are not mutually exclusive”.
30 October, 2023: in a speech given at the University of Sorbonne in Paris, Metsola emphasised key points outlined above about the EP’s approach to the crisis in Gaza.
8 November, 2023: in her opening remarks at an EP plenary session, Metsola condemns the “sharp rise in anti-Semitism in Europe”, urging Parliament to take any action necessary to address the issue.
