Stop the Middle East war now
Peter Baker, staff writer of the Washington Post, said it all when he wrote: "The Israeli bombs that slammed into the Lebanese village of Qana yesterday did more than kill three dozen children and a score of adults. They struck at the core of US...
Peter Baker, staff writer of the Washington Post, said it all when he wrote: "The Israeli bombs that slammed into the Lebanese village of Qana yesterday did more than kill three dozen children and a score of adults. They struck at the core of US foreign policy in the region and illustrated in heart-breaking images the enormous risks for Washington in the current Middle East crisis."
Baker continued: "With each new scene of carnage in southern Lebanon, outrage in the Arab world and Europe has intensified against Israel and its prime sponsor, raising the prospect of a backlash resulting in a new Middle East quagmire for the United States, according to regional specialists, diplomats and former US officials."
Europe cannot be sentenced in the same way. If Europe is to be criticised it must be that despite the rhetoric surrounding "the EU's role in the world" a major international crisis has caused it to divide again. As the crisis grew older, one Prime Minister, the UK's Tony Blair, flew as fast as a plane could carry him to Washington to co-ordinate his views with an American administration that contrary to all logic is not in a hurry to urge both sides to knock it off.
It is not clear whether Blair pressurised the American President on the need for an immediate ceasefire or whether he listened attentively to what instructions the President had to give him. But following the meeting, the big news on July 28 (courtesy of the BBC) was "After talks in Washington with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Mr Bush says the US and UK want to achieve a 'lasting peace' in the region, but neither leader calls for an immediate ceasefire." Europe could hardly achieve unity of purpose after that.
The latest Middle East war has also been described as an accidental war. "Accidentally" or by design hundreds of Lebanese and Israeli civilians have lost their lives (more Lebanese than Israelis) as both sides continue to target civilians. Once again it has been shown that military force cannot resolve conflicts - it can only make them worse.
How did the latest war start? No one really knows why it started and for what reason it escalated and got out of hand. Perhaps the following famous quote gleaned from Joseph S. Nye's Understanding Conflict illustrates the point. Prince Bernhard von Bulow, the German Chancellor from 1900 to 1909, met with his successor, Bethmann Hollweg, in the Chancellor's Palace in Berlin shortly after the outbreak of World War I.
Here's how von Bulow recalled the meeting: "Bethmann stood in the centre of the room; shall I ever forget his face, the look in his eyes? There is a picture by some celebrated English painter which shows the wretched scapegoat with a look of ineffable anguish in its eyes, such pain as I now saw in Bethmann. For an instant neither of us spoke. At last I said to him, "Well, tell me, at least, how it all happened." He raised his long, thin arms to heaven and answered in a dull, exhausted voice: "Oh, if I only knew!" In many later polemics on war guilt I have often wished it had been possible to produce a snapshot of Bethmann Hollweg standing there at the moment he said those words."
In this page today we trace the salient steps in the EU's stands on the war. Once again the EU has been rendered ineffective by the UK which unashamedly breaks rank and deserts its European allies time and again to lean towards the US which, under a Republican President, seems to get it all wrong all the time. Not only is this straining the EU but also the trans-Atlantic relationship which many of us believe (perhaps this is our greatest illusion) is the cornerstone of a better world order.
Following Gaza
On July 3, in response to Israeli military operations in Gaza, the EU issued the following statement:
"The European Union is extremely concerned about the situation which has evolved over the last days between Israel and the Palestinians and calls on all parties to abstain from any actions that are in violation of international law. It calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier.
"The European Union strongly condemns the murder of the Israeli victim of a kidnapping in the West Bank. It calls on the Palestinian leadership to bring an end to violence and terrorist activities, including the firing of rockets on Israeli territory. The European Union expresses its particular concern about the detention of elected members of the Palestinian government and legislature. Those detained should be accorded their full legal rights.
"The European Union reminds all parties of their responsibility to protect civilian lives. Notwithstanding Israel's legitimate right of self-defence, ongoing military operations should be in accordance with international law. It calls on Israel to exercise the utmost restraint and to avoid disproportionate action. It regrets the destruction of essential infrastructure, which contributes to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Restoring electricity and water supplies and access for humanitarian organisations must be a priority now to avoid a humanitarian crisis.
"The European Union emphasises the primacy of diplomatic means and calls upon all parties in the region to make every effort possible to resolve the current situation by peaceful means.
"The European Union reaffirms its conviction that only a negotiated two-State solution can bring peace and security to the Israeli and the Palestinian people. A return to the peace process and to the implementation of the Roadmap is therefore imperative. The European Union asks that both parties meet their responsibilities and demonstrate urgently an active commitment to the search for a negotiated solution."
In response to Lebanon
When war suddenly flared up in Lebanon, EU foreign ministers issued a statement on July 17, condemning the attacks by Hizbollah on Israel and the abduction of two Israeli soldiers.
The EU called for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. The EU ministers also called for an immediate stop to attacks on Israeli towns and cities.
The EU recalled the need for the Lebanese state to restore its sovereignty over the whole of its national territory and to do its utmost to prevent such attacks. The EU also expressed its support for Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora urging the full implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1680, including the disbanding and disarming of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, and strict respect of the sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and political independence of Lebanon.
Finally, the EU appealed to all parties to ensure the safe and speedy passage from Lebanon of all those citizens of EU member states, as well as other expatriates, who wished to leave Lebanon. The EU called on Israel not to hinder shipping in international waters.
The deteriorating humanitarian situation caused by the war did not escape the Union's attention. The Council said that it was acutely concerned at the situation in the Middle East, in particular at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. It strongly deplored the loss of civilian lives on all sides.
The EU said that these developments pose a serious threat to peace and security in the region. While recognising Israel's legitimate right to self-defence it urged Israel to exercise utmost restraint and not to resort to disproportionate action. All parties must do everything possible to protect civilian populations and to refrain from actions in violation of international humanitarian law.
The Union underscored the urgency of stopping the violence and to return to diplomacy. Only a political process of negotiation can bring lasting peace to the region. It urged the international community to engage actively in this. EU ministers expressed their full support for the High Representative's active engagement, for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and for the efforts of actors in the region. The Council welcomed an active role of the UN Security Council including the possibility for an international monitoring presence and supported the agenda set out in the G8 statement.
After the bombing of Qana
"The Presidency of the European Union is shocked and dismayed by the Israeli air strikes on the southern Lebanese town of Qana. There is no justification for attacks causing casualties among innocent civilians, most of whom were women and children.
"The fact that the residents had been warned and called upon to leave the area does not justify this tragic event as Israel had rejected the 72-hour cessation of hostilities called for by the UN to open the way for safe evacuation of civilians from southern Lebanon.
"The Presidency reiterates its call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
"The Council of the European Union will address at its extraordinary meeting on August 1 all the steps necessary to put an end to the conflict, including a political settlement and the international forces to be deployed to support a permanent ceasefire."
Extraordinary council meeting
The European Council meeting on August 1, issued another declaration in which it expressed its sorrow at the number of Lebanese and Israel civilian casualties, the suffering of the populations in the war zone, the number of displaced people in their own country and the destruction brought about by the war. The Council condemned the firing of rockets on Israel by Hizbollah and with equal strength condemned the killing by Israeli aerial bombardment of innocent civilians, most of them women and children in the Lebanese village of Qana.
The warring parties must do their utmost to shield the civilian populations and observe International Humanitarian law. The Council urged an immediate end to hostilities which must be followed by a durable ceasefire.
The EU Council supports without any reservations the efforts of Secretary General of the UN and the Security Council to find a political solution for a durable solution to the conflict which is acceptable to all the conflicting parties and which is necessary as a pre-condition for the deployment of an international force. Once this political solution is in place, the EU will be ready to contribute a strong military contingent as part of an international peacekeeping force.
The Council reiterated its full support for Lebanon's sovereignty and wants to aid Lebanon establish a strong state which is capable of safeguarding its own sovereignty and of protecting its population.
The EU called for the removal of all foreign troops from Lebanon, securing the country's international frontiers, the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces throughout the country's territory with the help of the international force and putting into effect the Taif Agreement and UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680.
The Council called for regional actors to use their influence to bring an end to the violence.
The EU reaffirmed its determination to open a humanitarian corridor to help the Lebanese civilian population. The Council condemned the violence in Gaza and the West Bank of Jordan which has also caused a grave humanitarian situation.
It called once again for the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state which would live at peace and security side-by-side with Israel and all its neighbours. The EU is determined to advance a comprehensive peace plan for the whole of the Middle East Region in co-operation with its partners in the region.
The EU roundly stated that there exists no military solution to the problems which bedevil the region. The EU Council invited the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy to pursue his efforts and to remain in contact with all the parties concerned and in this way to be prepared for a political solution to the conflict and a peace process.