As the nightmare in Gaza continues, there may finally be a small but growing sliver of hope.
On May 19, 2025, two remarkable statements were issued, calling on Israel to stop its military offensive in Gaza and to lift aid restrictions.
The first was a joint statement by Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, which not only called for an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and immediate humanitarian aid and assistance to residents, but also opposed the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. While acknowledging Israel’s right to defend against terrorism after the “heinous attack on October 7”, it called the current escalation “wholly disproportionate.” Significantly, the partners have threatened “to take further action, including targeted sanctions.”
On the same day, a similar joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management and the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean. As “humanitarian donors”, they called for the full resumption of aid into Gaza and the immediate release of all hostages by Hamas.
Many years ago, the European Union (EU) entered into a trade agreement with Israel. The agreement gave Israel access to the world’s largest trading bloc on a most favoured nation basis. It guaranteed that unlike many other nations, Israel would never be the subject of tariffs and provided numerous other benefits to this apartheid state. As of 2024, Israel and the EU were each other’s largest trading partners.
This trading status may soon change. On May 20th, the majority of 17 foreign ministers from the EU’s 27 member nations announced plans to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement and to put economic pressure on Israel if it does not immediately end the blockade which is causing such extreme hunger to Gaza’s 2.1 million inhabitants.
It would require unanimity for the EU to terminate its trade accord with Israel. All 27 nations would have to be in agreement, which is unlikely. However, many EU member countries are now acting individually to support Gaza’s residents while looking to bring economic pressure to bear against Israel. In April 2025, the EU itself announced a three-year increase in financial support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, worth up to $1.8 billion.
There are now indications that even Donald Trump’s government is working to broker an Israel-Gaza ceasefire agreement, negotiating through Qatar. Trump has been quoted as saying that he was upset by the images of suffering children in Gaza and calling on Israel to “wrap it up.” While his seeming change of heart may add to international pressure on the Netanyahu government, Trump’s longer-term motives remain questionable. In February 2025, Trump proposed permanently displacing Palestinians to other countries so that the U.S. could take over Gaza. Among his more ludicrous suggestions was a subsequent posting on his Truth Social site, proposing to turn Gaza into a Riviera-like destination owned by the U.S. and featuring a ‘Trump Gaza’ resort. Needless to say, this idea is not supported by neighbouring Arab states.
As you read this blog, hundreds of thousands of Gazan residents, including children, are starving, and deadly bombings continue daily. Israel still only allows minimal food supplies to enter Gaza. According to Aljazeera, at least 54,056 people in Gaza, including at least 17,400 children, have died since the Israeli invasion. An estimated 123,129 more have been injured.
The situation is barbaric.
For the sake of Gaza’s residents, let us hope that the tide is finally turning and that the necessary economic pressure will be brought to bear on Israel to force it to stop the slaughter and to let unlimited amounts of food and medical supplies to once again enter the world’s largest open-air prison – Gaza.
Daily atmospheric CO2 [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]
Latest daily total (May 29, 2025): 430.71ppm
One year ago (May 29, 2024): 426.03ppm
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