Eduardo González
The 27 EU member states yesterday reached an agreement to sanction Jewish settlers involved in violent acts against Palestinians in the West Bank, a measure that could not be agreed at the Foreign Affairs Council (FEA) in February due to Hungary’s veto. and that it had been adopted individually by Spain.
“We have approved, today unanimously, the sanctions against violent settlers who harass Palestinians in the West Bank,” announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, during the press conference after the March CAE, held in Brussels. “It is a measure in which, by not having reached an agreement in the previous CAE, Spain had already gone ahead individually,” he continued. “A month ago it was not possible, today it is possible; “It is good news, but it is going too slow for what the Palestinian civilian population needs,” he lamented.
On March 4, Albares himself announced, before the Joint Commission for the European Union of the Congress of Deputies, that the Spanish Government had “initiated the procedures to impose sanctions on a first group of twelve violent settlers from the West Bank”, al just as countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have done and in view of the EU’s inability to reach an agreement in this regard due to Hungary’s blockade.
Aid to Gaza
On the other hand, according to Albares, the EU Foreign Ministers “agreed” that humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip “must enter urgently.” “I have once again demanded, as I have been doing for many weeks, access to humanitarian supplies to the Strip,” because “it is of no use to us to have tripled, as Spain has done, emergency aid if we do not manage to get it to a population that “It is currently at risk of bombs, but also at risk of famine,” he explained.
“To this end, I have pointed out that an immediate ceasefire is essential that also allows, at the same time, the unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas and also that we all have to think about the day after the cessation of hostilities,” he added.
According to Albares, “Spain is willing to use all avenues for supplies to enter.” “Of course, we are going to participate in the operations by air, we have already done so by delivering parachutes for those shipments, but we are also going to send material and food by air, and we will also do it by sea as soon as the maritime corridor is established. “, accurate.
However, the minister assured that he had warned his colleagues that these means of aid represent “a drop of water in an ocean”, so it is necessary “that all land and land access points be opened as soon as possible for all the food and emergency aid and all the basic supplies, because it is the most effective, because it is the fastest and because it is what allows us to constantly offer the Palestinian citizens of Gaza what they are entitled to , which are basic supplies.”
Ukraine and Navalny
Regarding Ukraine, the other major issue of the CAE, Albares reported on the “commitment” of the 27 to contribute “five billion euros for the Assistance Fund for Ukraine (within the European Fund for Peace, EPF), specifically directed for the purchase of ammunition”, and assured that during the meeting there was “consensus that the support of the EU involves, above all, the supply of military material and ammunition that Ukraine needs to defend itself from this illegal aggression that is already in his third year.” During the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, addressed the Council by videoconference to report on the situation in the country, Ukraine’s military needs and EU support.
Likewise, Albares continued, the EU Foreign Ministers approved “politically sanctions against people and institutions in relation to the death of the Russian opponent Alexei Navalny within the framework of sanctions against Russia for violation of human rights.”
Blinken and Haiti
Yesterday’s meeting included an informal exchange of views via videoconference with the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, which focused on Russian aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the approach towards China and the Indo-Pacific.
The situation in Haiti was also addressed, which has suffered a wave of violence since the beginning of the month after several armed gangs joined forces to attack strategic places in Port-au-Prince in a fight against Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
“Spain is one of the few countries that keeps its Embassy open,” said Albares. “The most urgent thing is to restore security and order” but, given “the very serious situation that has been going on for a few days,” the Spanish Embassy has “everything planned for an evacuation of the small Spanish colony,” he continued. Likewise, the minister announced during the CAE that Spain will make “a contribution of three million euros to the multinational force that we hope can be deployed very soon.” “We will also participate in this multinational force, training troops, as long as the security conditions for this are met,” he added.
