By Andrea Tornielli
On Wednesday, 17 September, the European Commission presented a set of measures aimed at halting the ongoing tragedy in Gaza. We continue to witness harrowing images of an entire people forced into exile under the bombs, images of children killed. We continue to hear the repeated appeals of Pope Leo XIV, who, at the conclusion of the General Audience, once again called for full respect of international humanitarian law, expressing closeness to the Palestinian people who “continue to live in fear and to survive in unacceptable conditions, forcibly displaced – once again – from their own lands.” In light of all this, the EU’s proposals — which still await approval — appear modest.
Some of the measures risk making life more difficult for ordinary people, while others that could directly impact the conflict are missing — namely, restrictions on the arms trade. These are the very weapons now being used in raids against neighbouring countries. In fact, the European package contains no measures concerning the supply of weapons and military equipment.
The words spoken by Pope Leo on 26 June remain tragically relevant: “How can we continue to betray the desire of the world’s peoples for peace with propaganda about weapons buildup, as if military supremacy will resolve problems instead of fueling even greater hatred and desire for revenge? People are beginning to realise the amount of money that ends up in the pockets of merchants of death; money that could be used to build new hospitals and schools is instead being used to destroy those that already exist!”
