Go from words to actions to stop the conflict in the Middle East and prevent it from destabilizing the entire region, reach a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and make the two-East solution a reality. These intentions were repeated like a mantra this Monday in Barcelona in the interventions of the ninth regional forum of the Union for the Mediterranean, to which Palestine participated for the first time as a State recognized by Spain and to which, on the other hand, Israel has not sent any representative.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza and Lebanon and the risk of an escalation after the latest attacks in Iran have taken over the agenda of the meeting, in which politicians and diplomats from the rest of the 43 member countries (with only four countries, in addition to Spain, represented by its Foreign Ministers, Montenegro, Slovenia, Lebanon and Jordan, which holds the joint presidency of the forum). A meeting that, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, comes “in very difficult times” with “the authentic tragedy that is being experienced in the Middle East for which we no longer have words.”
As the high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, had already done the day before, Albares asked to “work to forge a consensus that makes peace in the region not just a wish, but a reality.” ”. As the Israeli Parliament considers a law to ban the activities of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), the minister has also reiterated the commitment to the agency, “an indispensable organization for millions of Palestinian refugees in the region.”
On the sidelines of the forum, Albares held a bilateral meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdullah Bou Habib, at the end of which, in a joint statement, they called for an immediate ceasefire. “Spain and Lebanon urge a permanent and immediate ceasefire that allows UN Security Council resolution 1701 to be fully implemented,” the statement reads. “This means reestablishing Lebanon’s sovereignty over its territory and guaranteeing the return to their homes of those displaced on both sides of the Blue Line,” say both governments, which have condemned the attacks against the UN Interim Force in Lebanon ( UNIFIL) and against the Lebanese armed forces.
Measures against “Israel’s impunity”
Borrell has joined this call, who has co-chaired the event along with Albares and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, Ayman Safadi. “We have to do more than express our concern,” he said. “This global alliance should serve as an umbrella under which all global partners can contribute to implementing the two-state solution. The key word is implementation. Let’s stop saying we support it and start putting it into practice. Start acting so that this solution is applied,” said the high representative, who announced that in the coming days “the first meeting of the technical groups to continue this process will be held in Riyadh, followed by a second in Brussels. ”, which should be at the end of November, before the end of his mandate at the head of European diplomacy.
Regarding measures to pressure Israel, the high representatives stated: “We have with Israel the most complete association agreement than we have with any other part of the world, with mutual obligations also on respect for human rights. Spain and Ireland have asked the European Commission to analyze whether what we are talking about can be considered compatible. But so far the Commission has not responded. It is the Council that should analyze it and I propose that this happens at the next European council in December.” Asked about the approval of sanctions, he answered: “For my part, I have asked that they adopt a package of sanctions, which include settler organizations in the West Bank and in particular – it is no secret – two Israeli ministers. [Bezalel Yoel] Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben-Gvir. But I only have the capacity to propose, the decision is up to the Member States and since I proposed it they have been studying it.”
“Today two million people, 90 percent of the population of Gaza, are in a situation of extreme food insecurity, 150,000 suffer from hunger. With destroyed hospitals and without international observers. Israel justifies the attacks with the presence of terrorists. But there is something called proportionality in the response, taking into account the collateral victims,” said Borrell.
“The offensive in Lebanon has crossed all red lines. The Israeli army must be condemned for the attacks on UNIFIL. “We must prevent those who have the strength from trying to rebuild the Middle East through force and destruction,” he added. “The hostages are still held in Gaza and we must ask for their release but we must end impunity, take measures to prevent it from continuing to happen,” the high representative reiterated, acknowledging however that, until now, “no one has managed” to stop the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
International law, in question
In a forceful intervention, Jordan’s Foreign Minister, Abdullah Bou Habib, warned about the erosion of international credibility and international law due to the impunity with which Israel is acting.
“We, in the Arab world, have a commitment to the two-state solution. What is Israel doing, what is Israel putting on the table beyond leading the region into the abyss? We must act decisively to bring about an end to aggression, an end to the use of famine as a weapon, because if not, what will happen when other countries violate humanitarian and international law? The scenario has to change now, in accordance with international law, (…) so that Israel does not continue killing with impunity,” he said.
Recalling the more than 43,000 deaths since the beginning of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, the Jordanian minister has also referred to the possibility of the Israeli Government banning UNRWA activities. “All this impunity has allowed Israel to commit war crimes. As of today we are in a situation where two laws have been drafted in Israel knowing that these laws cannot be applied to the territories, which will prevent UNRWA from working. How will the international community react if Israel bans UNRWA activities?” And he concluded: “We appeal to our European partners. The EU was founded on the basis of international law. How is it possible that this situation exists? Do something for what can still be saved from international law and the credibility of international institutions.”
Also on the table at the Barcelona meeting was the reform of the Union for the Mediterranean, which adopted its current name in 2008, during the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean, but arose from the so-called Barcelona Process, proposed by Spain and launched. by the European Union in 1995, to create a multilateral cooperation body for the countries on both sides of the Mediterranean. Albares has celebrated the “resilience” demonstrated by the organization, but has recognized that “the instruments must be adapted to the reality of the present” since “Mediterranean policy is entering a new cycle.”
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