The EU is trying to build a common front to protect the Blue Helmets in Lebanon from Israeli attacks. international

The European Union is struggling to form a common front to protect the blue helmets deployed in southern Lebanon after serious attacks by the Israeli military. According to community sources, despite maneuvering and the initial rejection of the Czech Republic, which has in recent months become the voice of Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu government at the community club, a statement of condemnation was agreed upon. The latest attacks on the UN mission deployed in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and growing international criticism have prompted Prague to capitulate. The twenty-seven foreign ministers will talk about the worrying situation in the Middle East in a meeting with the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, in Luxembourg this Monday.

The union is having difficulty finding a common position on the Middle East since Hamas’ attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, triggered the Jewish state’s war against Gaza, which has devastated the strip And which has resulted in a crisis in the entire region. Now extended to Lebanon. The Czech Republic, as well as Austria and Hungary on other occasions – also Germany’s silence – are withholding criticism of Netanyahu and making statements that seem at least harsh.

Prague, Vienna and Budapest insist that Israel has the right to defend itself. The difficulty in negotiating a common text on the attacks on UNIFIL and Prague’s blocking of the previous declaration by the Twenty-Seven, which had warned Israel of the consequences of a ground invasion – which Borrell ultimately had to issue in his own name – slowed European momentum. On the contrary, everyone unanimously condemned Iran’s attacks on Israel. This was completed within a few hours. On Saturday, the center of repeated attacks by Israel, blocking Hungary and the Czech Republic for declaring support for the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the head of European diplomacy issued it in his own name, and not In his name. Of the 27 member states.

“These attacks (against UNIFIL) are serious. And they could have consequences in other parts of the world where blue helmets are deployed,” a senior European source warned. “This is another attack by Israel on the rules-based order, and not condemning it deepens the West’s double standards,” criticized one Community diplomat. About twenty UNIFIL soldiers have suffered various types of injuries in recent days due to attacks by Israel, which has urged them to retreat and assured that they do not allow themselves to be used as “human shields” by Hezbollah. Are giving. Israel’s maneuvers against the UN mission in Lebanon – deployed in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution – are another chapter in its attack against the UN, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has considered personalityless,

Meanwhile, the leaders of France, Italy and Spain, the largest European contributors to the UN mission in terms of personnel, condemned the “unjustified” Israeli strikes on Friday. On Saturday, a large group of countries participating in the mission, including Poland and Germany, also issued a statement condemning it, although it did not mention Israel.

There are also growing voices proposing changing UNIFIL’s mandate to allow more room for maneuver, but this would require an agreement from the UN Security Council. At the same time, the EU is deploying funds to support the Lebanese army and trying to push the country to achieve a minimum of political stability.

The Union is deeply concerned about the situation arising from the Israeli aggression in Lebanon and its consequences for the entire region, including possible waves of migration to Europe. However, the Netanyahu government’s refusal to issue a clear condemnation persists. The leaders of the twenty-seven will meet next Thursday and Friday at a summit in Brussels in which they will talk, among other things, about the situation in the Middle East, but for now, there will be less mention of what is happening with the UN mission. Less than, shy. “The European Council supports the fundamental stabilization role of the United Nations Mission in Southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) and calls on all parties to protect and support UNIFIL’s vital mission,” said the draft conclusions of that appointment. But talks are still going on.