Donald Trump’s return to the White House, EU’s international policy in the hands of Estonia Kaja Kallas after the departure of Josep Borrell and the alignment of Ursula von der Leyen with Benjamín Netanyahu have become a perfect triangle for the Situation in the Middle East and, especially in Gaza, pass to the background for the community block, which has always faced with division the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The EU also risks to have a practically residual role in the geopolitical sphere in which a site is claimed at the negotiating table between Russia and Ukraine.
The silence seized the European Commission and the High EU representative after Trump appealed again at the exit of the Gazaties of the strip and threatened that the United States became “charge” of the area. In a digital ecosystem in which politicians react live to everything, there was no comment from European leaders about that commitment to the displacement of Gazati citizens, which is interpreted as an ethnic cleaning, raised by the most powerful man in the world .
The spokesmen of the European Commission took hours to pronounce. “We take note of President Trump’s comments. The EU remains firmly committed to a solution of two states, which we believe is the only way to long -term peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. Gaza is an integral part of a future Palestinian state, ”was the warm response they provided late on Wednesday.
A day later, the community spokesmen gave one more step to remember that “Gaza is an ancestral part of the future Palestinian state” and that “there should be no more forced displacements of Palestinians.”
By then, the UN had reacted with greater forcefulness. “International law is very clear, self -determination is a fundamental principle and must be protected by all states,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. “All deportation from occupied territory is prohibited,” the organization warned.
Division in the EU
Also the Arab countries reacted angry. The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, reiterated the message that “Gaza belongs to the Gazati.” And other European countries, such as France, Germany or Italy, with greater or lesser hardness, rejected Trump’s plan.
However, Hungary’s ultra -rights government has blessed Trump’s intentions. “Hungary is interested in all the solutions that bring peace and stability to the Middle East,” said Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, in an interview with American television Fox News, reports the EFE agency. Those of Viktor Orbán have made clear the follow -up to the populist leader, who has said that he has “fantastic negotiating skills.” “If it’s Trump, nothing is impossible,” said Szijjáró.
Since Israel’s attacks began to Gaza after Hamas’s attacks in October 2023, the EU has found problems reacting unanimously and, normally, has done so to rebuild what Washington sending, to a large extent for that division internal and the equidistance of many capitals towards Tel Aviv.
The 27 took months to ask for a fire when the dead Gazatis were counted by thousands due to the lack of unanimity within the European Council. Even more, Spain and Ireland’s request was delayed to review the commercial agreement with Israel following the massacre in Gaza. The Foreign Ministers agreed to convene the Association Council three months later that Pedro Sánchez and the then Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, were requested, after Netanyahu disregarded the International Justice order to stop the offensive in Rafah. The meeting will be held more than a year later, on February 24, and Spanish diplomatic sources admit the fear that the agenda is not very ambitious regarding the questioning of Israel’s performance.
Kallas low profile
The equidistance was evident again, in the case of the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, before Trump’s comments. But it is not the first time that the German ignores the matter while her pronouncements on other international issues, especially war in Ukraine, are frequent.
Von der Leyen enervated the EU as soon as the resurgence of the conflict began after the Hamas attacks when traveling to Israel, which was already bombing the Palestinian civilian population, and gave it its strong support. At that time, the president of the European Commission endorsed the right of that country to self -defense without nuances, while the 27 warned that she had to comply with international law, which prohibits arbitrariness in mass attacks against the people.
At that time, von der Leyen had as a counterweight the then high representative, Josep Borrell, who was one of the hardest voices against the massacre that Netanyahu has perpetrated in Gaza. However, the profile of his successor is much lower and, even more, in the affairs of the Middle East. Kallas, the one chosen by the leaders of the 27 as head of diplomacy, is a ‘Halconate Anti-Putin’ that has made Ukraine the leitmotiv of your foreign policy. In his presentation before the European Parliament, he mentioned the war in Ukraine on 17 occasions while he did not refer to Gaza’s, despite 43,000 people had been killed.
To the division and equidistance with the conflict of much of the European leadership, the fear of Trump’s reactions is added. The European Commission has thrown balls outside the suspension of the funds to the Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) by the US. “We are not going to speculate or respond directly to the comments of the American authorities,” was the response of a spokesman. In Brussels they have always argued that the activity of that UN agency is vital for the region and have criticized the prohibition of their activity by Israel, even Kallas did when the norm came into force.
The decision not to respond to each provocation of Trump is an argument that helps the EU contain the possible reactions of the White House tenant, which can put the support to Ukraine at risk -although feeling in recent weeks is of relief is Because he has changed his speech regarding the electoral campaign in which he assured that he would end the war in 24 hours, largely cutting the tap to the aid to Kiev- or to separate the Europeans from the negotiation. Hence, the president of the European Council, António Costa, has already requested a chair at the table.
But what worries the most is the threat of commercial war resurgence. In the EU they assume that some kind of tariff retaliation will be and wait for it by the end of this month. Von der Leyen said that he would respond “firm” at the same time that governments held out their negotiation. The EU is more prepared for Trump’s fluctuations than in her first mandate, but still walks with lead feet and runs the risk of having a residual role before the uncertain geopolitical context.
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