A letter addressed to European Council President Charles Michel indicates that Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Malta want EU leaders to discuss the situation in Gaza this week and jointly call for a permanent humanitarian ceasefire to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). EU leaders from the 27 member states are set to meet on December 14-15 in Brussels to discuss ways to assist Ukraine in response to Russian aggression and review the long-term EU budget. The agenda also includes the situation in the Middle East.
The Prime Ministers of Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Malta emphasized the seriousness of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the potential for the conflict to escalate and spread throughout the region in their letter to Michel, who also chairs EU summits. The four countries, which have previously criticized Israel for its handling of the conflict, called for an international peace conference on Gaza to be held as soon as possible to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The four countries also stated that the assets of Israeli settlers who launch attacks on Palestinian displaced communities should be frozen to prevent the spread of violence to the West Bank. The United States vetoed a draft resolution on Friday at the United Nations Security Council that called for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Thirteen members voted in favor of the resolution presented by the UAE, while the UK abstained from voting. The vote followed a rare step by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday, when he formally warned the Security Council of a global threat due to the war.
