Call to Israel from 26 EU member states

EU Foreign Ministers met in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.

Following the meeting, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, held a press conference.

Borrell stated that 26 EU member states, with the exception of Hungary, have called for an "immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire" in Gaza.

"WE ASK THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT NOT TO ATTACK RAFAH"

Stating that the EU is against a potential Israeli attack on the city of Rafah, Borrell said, "We ask the Israeli government not to attack Rafah. Because such an attack would make the humanitarian situation much worse. This would prevent the delivery of necessary humanitarian aid.

The ministers called on Israel to comply with international humanitarian law and the International Court of Justice ruling dated January 26. As a follow-up to this, the ministers called for an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a lasting ceasefire,” he said.

Calling on Israel to do what is necessary for humanitarian aid to reach the region and to protect the civilian population, Borrell said, “We discussed the aid and the current situation with the UN Coordinator for Gaza and UNRWA. We received the latest information from her. She was extremely clear. She asked that EU aid not be cut off. She said that they are continuing aid in the region, especially in education, and that if the aid is cut off, no one else will be able to perform these duties,” he said.

Stating that Jewish settlers who carry out attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank were also discussed at the meeting, Borrell noted that discussions regarding sanctions against Jewish settlers are ongoing.

"IT WILL HELP AGAINST ATTACKS"

Stating that the ongoing attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden were also addressed at the meeting, Borrell announced that the EU has decided to send a military mission to the Red Sea. Borrell said, “As the EU, we have made a decision for a naval mission called Aspides. This is a military defense mission in the Red Sea. This will help against the attacks carried out by the Houthis on commercial ships,” he stated.

Borrell announced that the EU's support for Ukraine will continue regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, which is approaching its second year. Stating that they are preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia, Borrell noted that a full agreement has not yet been reached among EU member states on this issue, and that he hopes an agreement will be reached in the coming days.

Touching on the issue of Africa, Borrell said, "We will continue the issue of the Sahara and humanitarian aid to the people in the region. 

We are making an effort to help the people who are in a difficult situation due to coups in the region. We discussed our relations with Chad, Mauritania, and Guinea. We support African solutions to African problems. We support the decisions to be taken by ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) in the region. We will not establish a dialogue with the junta administration in Niger until President Mohamed Bazoum is released,” he said.