BRUSSELS — European Union leaders struggled Tuesday to paper over differences as a cacophony of opinions and reactions marred the bloc’s response to the Israel-Hamas war.
But they did claim to be united behind Israel’s right to defend itself within the bounds of international law.
Since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, triggering the latest Gaza war, with over 4,000 dead on both sides, France has banned on pro-Palestinian demonstrations and the number of antisemitic acts has risen.
Germany has ramped up security. It’s offered military help to Israel and promised to crack down on support for Hamas at home. Low-level rallies have been held in other EU countries. Both the 27-nation bloc and the United States consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization.
EU officials, meanwhile, have sent mixed messages about sending aid to the Palestinians. The bloc is their biggest aid donor and provides around 10 percent of the Palestinian Authority’s budget, but it has little leverage over Israel. The EU has also been unclear about where it stands on Israel’s siege of Gaza.
“We have to guide our actions around two principles: unity and consistency,” EU Council President Charles Michel told reporters in Brussels after hosting an emergency leaders’ summit.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was criticized for visiting Israel last week without consulting the member countries, said: “Hamas terror is now bringing immense suffering to the Palestinian people. There is no contradiction in standing with Israel in solidarity and acting for the humanitarian needs for the Palestinians.”
The leaders immediately faced the challenge involved when reports came in that a hospital in Gaza City had been hit by an explosion, killing hundreds. Hamas said it was caused by Israel. The Israeli military denied involvement, saying it was a misfired Palestinian rocket.
Von der Leyen, who is from Germany, said she did not know enough about the incident to say whether it contravened international law. In contrast, Michel said an attack on civilian infrastructure would clearly be “not in line with international law.” They both spoke just before Israel’s denial of involvement.
Over the last week, many member states have felt that von der Leyen overstepped her authority by visiting Israel on Friday without a pre-agreed political message and then toed what critics called an excessively pro-Israeli line.
