Post-EU Council Statements: The Middle East and Ukraine.
Full Transcript: The issue in the Middle East rightly dominated the European Council meeting, just as it is rightly dominating this debate today. Although there is much else happening in the world, it is only right and proper that our attention is focused on the unfolding humanitarian disaster playing out in Gaza. I am looking at the conclusions adopted by the European Council, which are like minutes published after the meeting, and something within them is extremely striking. Look at the clarity of language when talking about Ukraine. The conclusions read:
The European Council reiterates its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter, and reaffirms the European Union’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence [and so on.]
That statement is very clear, as it should be. However, when I turn to the section on the Middle East, the language is far more muddled. It says the European Council acknowledges that Israel is the victim of “brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks”. That is entirely right and proper. We all absolutely repudiate the actions of Hamas. The Council describes the impact of the disproportionate bombing of Gaza as “tragic scenes”. That is a sea change in terms of language. The Council also condemns Hamas for using civilians as human shields, describing it as a “deplorable atrocity”. Again, this is 100% merited. We should absolutely be using language of that clarity to describe the use of human shields. However, the Council does not mention that 40% of the 10,000 killed in the bombardment of Gaza have been children. It makes no reference to that fact.
The scale of this man-made catastrophe is difficult to comprehend. Doctors are having to make decisions as to who they can and cannot help. Faris Al-Jawad, who works for Médecins Sans Frontières on the ground in Palestine, has described how an 11-year-old had his foot amputated on a hospital floor without anaesthetic as the result of a lack of medicinal supplies. I am the parent of an 11-year-old and, like most parents here, I try hard to maintain the conceit that I can protect him against the things that are happening in the world around us. However, there is no earthly way a father in Palestine would be able to maintain that fiction. There is no way he could convince himself that his best efforts will be enough to protect his children.
EU leaders at the Council stressed that they would work to facilitate access for food, water, medicinal supplies, fuel and shelter but, for many in Gaza, it is already too late. António Guterres has talked about the nightmare in Gaza becoming more than a humanitarian crisis, that it is a crisis of humanity. He has described Gaza as becoming a graveyard for children. Deputy Carthy spoke about comparison and asked how one can compare tragedies but it is an entirely valid point that the number of people who lost their lives during the 30 years of the Troubles has already been dwarfed by the number of people who have lost their lives in Gaza. How many of those have been children? It is heartbreaking.
Even though, as I have said, this debate is rightly dominated by the issue in the Middle East, I also want to speak about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine with reference not only to its impact in Ukraine, but its broader impact. I have absolutely no doubt that, while the eyes of the world are elsewhere, the Russians will make use of that fact. I also have absolutely no doubt that the Russians are deliberately weaponising food and energy to further their military aims within Ukraine. The people who are feeling this most keenly are those in the developing world. A major priority for EU countries in addressing the growing food insecurity caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine is to help Ukraine export agrifood produce. Not only is Ukraine one of the main producers and exporters of grain and maize, but its agricultural products are also vital for food supplies in Africa and the Middle East. Some 90% of wheat exports from Ukraine between 2016 and 2021 went to countries in Africa and Asia.
Before the war, 90% of grain from Ukraine was transported through the Black Sea. That figure has now fallen to 45%. Russia implemented a blockade on Ukraine’s Black Sea shores and approximately 20 million tonnes of grain were stuck in silos. Last year, the European Commission established EU-Ukraine solidarity lanes. This project included freight rolling stock, transport networks, transshipment terminals and the simplification of customs and the storage of goods on EU territory. Some 57 million tonnes of agricultural products have left Ukraine through these solidarity lanes, although this is a drop in the ocean when compared to the level of such goods previously moved.
Food security remains a massive problem. In July, the Russian Government terminated the Black Sea grain initiative. There is no doubt in my mind that this was a deliberate choice to immiserate people and to use hunger as a weapon of war. The EU is deeply concerned about this decision as it furthers food insecurity. EU leaders have called for the capacity of the solidarity lanes to be enhanced. They invited the Commission to propose measures to achieve this. The impact of Russia’s weaponisation of food cannot be underestimated. It plays out most tragically in the developing world and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. The International Committee of the Red Cross in Africa has tried to limit the impacts of rising global grain prices as a result of this war. This is also occurring at a time of devastating crop losses across Africa, particularly in the Horn of Africa, where rains have failed for successive years. This action is forcing families to go hungry and an enormous loss of human life is being incurred far away from the eyes of the world. The countries worst affected include Somalia, which is over 90% dependent on Russian and Ukrainian grain, and Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mauritania, where up to 10.5 million people are facing malnutrition.
My final point is on the Multi-annual Financial Framework, of which there has been very little mention or discussion. I have spoken before about the need to underpin the European Green Deal with commensurate funding. If we are moving in the direction of decarbonisation and the rededication of our lands to fight climate change and biodiversity loss, measures such as the EU’s nature restoration law need to be adequately underpinned by an appropriate funding mechanism. I completely understand that the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine must dominate our attention but it is also important that this work is done.
There is repeated mention within these documents of the need to move towards a two-state solution. At this point in time we have to ask ourselves what will be left as a Palestine for us to declare in a two-state solution. We have to ensure a humanitarian ceasefire and we also have to use every shred of influence we have on the international stage to call for that two-state solution while there is still something left of Palestine for us to recognise.
