Gaza: No more mixed EU messages

Ahead of European leaders meeting tomorrow to discuss the unfolding events in Gaza, Vittorio Infante, Oxfam EU conflict expert, said:  

“This is not the time for mixed messages, instead what we need is decisive moral leadership that is centred in the cause of peace. As every minute goes by, civilians are paying an ever-mounting price. Many of our colleagues in Gaza are now displaced along with hundreds of thousands of others. Their houses are being bombed, drinking water is nearly exhausted and food supplies are dwindling. And we have a genuine fear that the worst is yet to come.

“Without a unified voice, the EU’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an honest broker will be shattered. European leaders must demand an end to the vicious cycle of violence and retribution. We need a ceasefire, civilians protected, aid to be allowed to flow safely into Gaza and for the Israeli government and Palestinian armed groups to adhere to the rules of international humanitarian law. Civilians should never be a target. 

“If European leaders fail in this, it will forever be a stain on the EU’s conscience and its standing in the world.”