The European Union is ready to play a pivotal role in stabilizing the Middle East, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica said on Tuesday following the recent ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg on the recent agreement in the Middle East, Suica described the situation as "deeply fragile," warning that despite the cease-fire, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains "catastrophic."
Suica underlined that the EU stands ready to contribute to a 20-point plan aimed at stabilizing the region, while continuing to engage with both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government. "The EU is uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in this delicate situation," she added.
She said the EU can play a key role through "large-scale humanitarian aid," including medical evacuations of Palestinian patients to Europe and is considering deploying civil protection resources for "search and rescue, rubble removal and decontamination operations."
Suica also pointed to potential EU involvement in security and governance arrangements, including redeploying the EUBAM (European Union Border Assistance Mission) to Rafah at the crossing point and extending police training under EUPOL COPPS (the EU Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support) to Gaza.
Reaffirming the EU's commitment to a two-state solution, she said the commission will mobilize all relevant tools and co-host a meeting of the Palestine Donor Group around Nov. 20 to coordinate reconstruction and reform efforts.
"While the recent developments in Gaza offer glimmers of hope, sustained and concerted efforts are required to ensure lasting peace," she said.
However, several lawmakers criticized the EU for what they described as its "silence and complicity" in Israel's actions in Gaza.
Irish MEP Lynn Boylan of the Left Group accused the bloc of "doing nothing" despite the "catastrophic death toll," citing figures of tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and thousands of children injured or starving.
"This ceasefire cannot be an excuse for the EU to sit on its hands. Now is the time for the EU to restore its credibility and to end its complicity in this genocide," she said.
Fellow Left Group member Rima Hassan said the EU's response reflects a "colonial mindset," claiming the bloc has given Israel a "carte blanche for its crimes."
"Peace for Palestine means an end to the impunity for Israel, an end to the complicity of the West, and an end to apartheid, and to genocide," she said.
Belgian MEP Marc Botenga also accused the EU of "financing and arming a genocide," while Slovenian MEP Matjaz Nemec called for accountability for war crimes and for sanctions against those responsible.
"We must accept that (EU Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen's unconditional support for Israel emboldened them in committing the most horrific war crimes," Irish MEP Luke Ming Flanagan said, urging the EU to demand that Israel cover the cost of Gaza's reconstruction.
