RIYADH: Christophe Farnaud, the EU ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, outlined the bloc’s three priorities regarding the Gaza crisis: humanitarian assistance, joint action, and the search for a long-term solution.
“We do have to face it and find a collective solution … It would be up to the parties in the end to decide, but we around them have to be committed as much as possible to find a solution,” Farnaud said in an interview with Arab News.
“Which means for us (the EU) three things, and we’ve been very clear collectively on that.”
He described the situation in Gaza as a “humanitarian catastrophe” and a “tragedy,” adding that the EU must “stand by the innocent civilian Palestinians.”
He said: “No doubt that this crisis is one of the key challenges, not just for the Palestinians and the Israelis themselves, not just for you, as their direct neighbors, but also for us and for the world in general.
No doubt that this crisis is one of the key challenges, not just for the Palestinians and the Israelis themselves, not just for you, as their direct neighbors, but also for us and for the world in general.
Christophe Farnaud, EU ambassador
“Food aid is key, of course, because we know that especially for families, for children … there’s a risk of starvation, which is not acceptable.
“We definitely must do all that we can for that. And we know that so far, it’s not enough. It’s not enough. But we also are working on providing the basic needs of the population.”
A joint solution resulting in stability must be found, Farnaud said, adding that the EU “has been very much committed to it from the start.”
The envoy said: “We’ve been doing it through providing aid to the Palestinians directly. And so for 2024, it will be €125 million ($137 million) that has been announced.”
The EU is providing aid to Palestinians in the broader region through the UN Relief and Works Agency, Farnaud explained.
“And I can say that UNWRA for us remains a key player for the support for Palestinians,” he added, specifying that the cumulative amount of aid provided by the EU, including regional assistance in partnership with the UNWRA, totals €150 million.
The ambassador stressed that the EU would continue providing aid.
“You could see in the last days that we’ve been pushing for better humanitarian access by land to the Palestinian population. That is key,” he said.
“We must keep pressure on that to get results.”
EU member states are trying to provide aid by air, Farnaud said. “It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.”
The ambassador also spoke on the newly announced maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza delivering food.
On Thursday, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades announced a proposal to establish a maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza.
A joint communique from the EU, US, Britain, and the UAE stated that “the delivery of humanitarian assistance directly to Gaza by sea will be complex,” but they will adjust their efforts to ensure the aid is delivered as effectively as possible.
Farnaud detailed the EU’s second stance on the crises in Palestine, stressing that joint action is key: “We must work together — all together — to avoid regional spillover. We can see that tensions have grown in the north of Israel and south Lebanon with other events in the region.”
The third key point the EU ambassador underlined was the need to work on long-term solutions to the conflicts.
“It’s not just about what’s happening now; it is also finding the root causes of the current crisis … “We’ve been very clear condemning what Hamas did on Oct. 7 and we’ve been clearly calling for the immediate release of the hostages.
“On the other hand, we must also make sure that what’s happening in Gaza now stops. There must be a cessation of hostilities or violence leading to (a) sustainable cease-fire.”
Farnaud stressed that this will be the first step in working toward a long-term solution, “and this implies a collective commitment to the two-state solution,” he added.
“It’s the best way to facilitate and ensure that both the Palestinians and Israel will enjoy a future of security and stability in this region.”
The EU envoy also highlighted the bilateral ties between the Kingdom and the EU. “I think it’s a strategic partnership for both sides … It’s long-standing,” he said.
Referencing a 2018 speech made by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh, Farnaud said: “I remember that there’s a famous sentence in Arabic that was uttered by the crown prince. He said: ‘I believe the new Europe is the Middle East.’ I think (this) is very interesting because clearly it shows that the project here is to make the new renaissance happen in Saudi Arabia in a way.
“But it also shows that Europe remains a model. And so that implies a dialog and a further partnership.”
The ambassador detailed the extensive cooperation — economic, political and cultural — between Saudi Arabia and the EU: “The Kingdom is undergoing an incredible transformation … And it is important for us as the European Union to be still a key partner for these transformations and beyond.”
