The member states also hastily negotiated a joint statement that stressed the importance of observing international law.
Two EU officials told The Irish Times there are concerns about the safety of EU citizens and diplomats in the region because Dr von der Leyen’s statements had appeared to be an unqualified endorsement of Israel’s response to the Hamas attack. Another official said that the EU’s diplomatic efforts to try to garner support for Ukraine among the developing world had been damaged by the appearance of being inconsistent on the application of international law.
In the wake of the brutal Hamas attack, Dr von der Leyen expressed unqualified support for Israel, even as misgivings grew among member states and theIn a visit to Tel Aviv on Friday that was not co-ordinated with member states, Dr von der Leyen met Israeli prime ministerand expressed the EU’s support without mentioning the mass evacuation order of Gaza, the cut-off food, water and electricity supplies, or the need to respect international law.