Israel's assault on the 'Gaza flotilla' poses a problem for the EU (upd4)

(BRUSSELS2) EU ambassadors are due to consult today on the attitude to adopt towards Israel after the assault on ships of the "freedom flotilla" which aimed to bring humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza. A meeting of 27 COPS ambassadors from EU member states was convened urgently on Monday afternoon. And several countries have already summoned the Israeli ambassador to their foreign ministry.

Several national deputies (German and Swedish in particular) were on board the boats, as well as a survivor of the Holocaust, and Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1976 (on board the Mv Rachel Corrie which has not yet discussed).

A skid of marine commandos

The Israeli Navy's elite commandos, Shayetet 13, stormed the Turkish-flagged vessel Mavi Marmara, which was closest to the coast, in the early morning (4 a.m.). Turkish television announces between 10 and 15 dead and several dozen injured (60). At the end of the morning, an Israeli television channel announced the figure of 19 dead. The Israeli forces confirmed 10 deaths among the passengers and injuries without giving a figure. Tuesday morning, the death toll seemed to stand at 9 dead.

The Israeli forces explained that they had to react to a threatening attitude when the men dropped by the helicopters arrived on the deck of the ship. Edged weapons were allegedly used against the soldiers. And one of their weapons was even turned against them by the activist militants. 4 members of the marine commandos were injured. All the wounded (civilian and military) were repatriated to Israeli hospitals to receive treatment.

Summoning of Israeli ambassadors to Europe, first measure

Spain, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union, has summoned the Israeli ambassador in Madrid to the Foreign Ministry. Secretary of State for European Affairs, Diego López Garrido, described the military action as "unacceptable" and the situation of "extremely serious". In Greece, the Israeli diplomat was summoned urgently in the morning. Ditto in Ireland and Sweden (1) as well as in Denmark, Belgium and France.

In Paris, President Sarkozy was very cautious. He has “condemned the disproportionate use of force and sends its condolences to the families of the victims. Full light must be shed on the circumstances of this tragedy, which underlines the urgency of relaunching the peace process. » Other reactions should follow during the day.

First measured reaction of the High Representative of the EU: request for an internal investigation

While awaiting the outcome of the meeting of ambassadors, the High Representative, Cathy Ashton, who is traveling to Warsaw, made an initial rather measured statement through the spokesperson for the European Commission. “She deeply regrets what happened and expresses her compassion to the families affected” explained his spokesperson. Cathy Ashton has as well “condemned any act of violence and excessive use of force” and asked “an immediate investigation by the Israeli authorities. »

She also repeated her position already posted at the end of last week : " The ongoing blockade policy is unacceptable and politically counterproductive ". We want " an immediate, lasting and unconditional opening of crossing points for humanitarian aid, goods and people coming from and or going to Gaza”.

Strong condemnation in the European Parliament: a violation of the Geneva Convention

In the European Parliament, Greens leader Dany Cohn-Bendit called for an emergency debate. And Véronique de Keyser, who has just returned from a visit by a delegation to Gaza, led by French MP Eva Joly, believes that this "The incident shows us that we have reached a point of no return. We must now demand that Israel end the blockade of Gaza completely".

As for the President of the European Parliament, the Polish Jerzy Buzek (Citizens' Platform PO / EPP), he had very harsh words. He felt that this attack est “unjustified and constitutes a clear and unacceptable violation of international law, in particular the 4th Geneva Convention. We demand that Israel explain its actions immediately, with the utmost transparency and guarantees of full accountability by cooperating with any investigation that may be put in place. (...) The European Parliament urgently calls on the High Representative to take initiatives within the framework of the Quartet to force Israel to lift the siege on the people of Gaza immediately and unconditionally. We cannot allow 80% of the population of Gaza to live below the poverty line. »

"Serious" situation for Israel and Gaza

The situation seems, indeed, serious for the Hebrew State. Under international law, the establishment of a blockade can be considered an act of war. This attack could lead to an evolution of certain positions within the European Union, which was for the moment quite divided on the Israeli and Palestinian question, and rather wait-and-see.

(1) Country of origin of the boats. The flotilla indeed includes 6 vessels, mainly European: Turkish, Irish, Swedish, Greek, Kuwaiti and Algerian.

First pictures

See Aljazeera's first report on board the Mavi Marmara taken over by CNN Türk (the death toll was only 2 dead at this time):