{"id":120512,"date":"2023-10-24T10:29:10","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T10:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cottontailsonline.com\/?p=120512"},"modified":"2023-10-24T10:29:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T10:29:10","slug":"uk-braces-for-major-eu-clash-with-sunak-on-collision-course-with-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cottontailsonline.com\/politics\/uk-braces-for-major-eu-clash-with-sunak-on-collision-course-with-france\/","title":{"rendered":"UK braces for major EU clash with Sunak on collision course with France"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Rishi Sunak is on a collision course with Brussels as EU leaders push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – something the UK Prime Minister has admitted would be \u201cdifficult\u201d for Britain to support in the current circumstances.<\/p>\n

French Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne is pushing for what she called a \u201chumanitarian truce\u201d to allow aid agencies to bring more supplies into Gaza.<\/p>\n

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv today, meeting with the families of French citizens who were killed or held hostage before heading to talks with top Israeli officials.<\/p>\n

He told Israel\u2019s President Isaac Herzog that he came \u201cto express our support and solidarity and share your pain\u201d as well as to assure Israel it is \u201cnot left alone in the war against terrorism”.<\/p>\n

Josep Borrell, who as High Representative is the EU\u2019s top diplomat, has said a pause in the Israeli bombardment would permit more time to negotiate for the release of the hundreds of hostages captured by Hamas on October 7.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong> EU chief von der Leyen re-election not guaranteed with Israel stance ‘a factor'[ANALYSIS] <\/strong><\/p>\n

Rishi Sunak on Gaza hospital attack findings<\/h3>\n

Insiders have suggested EU27 leaders are ready to back such a pause – but, speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Sunak struck a very different tone.<\/p>\n

He told MPs: \u201cIt is difficult to tell Israel to have a ceasefire when it is still facing rocket fire on an almost daily basis, and when its citizens are still being held hostage and it has suffered an appalling terrorist attack where it has a right to defend itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Referring to last week\u2019s explosion at a hospital in Gaza, Mr Sunak also warned against drawing hasty conclusions about who was to blame for such incidents.<\/p>\n

The UK Government has concluded the missile in question was fired from within Gaza rather that from Israel, despite inital claims to the contrary which were widely reported by several UK media outlets.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

President Joe Biden is likewise reluctant, telling reporters yesterday: \u201cWe should have those hostages released and then we can talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pentagon has sent military advisers, including a Marine Corps general versed in urban warfare, to Israel to aid in its war planning and is speeding multiple sophisticated air defense systems to the Middle East days ahead of an anticipated ground assault into Gaza.<\/p>\n

One of the officers leading the assistance is Marine Corps Lt Gen James Glynn, who previously helped lead special operations forces against the Islamic State and served in Fallujah, Iraq, during some of the most heated urban combat there, according to a US official who was not authorized to discuss Glynn\u2019s role and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

Lt Gen Glynn will also be advising on how to mitigate civilian casualties in urban warfare, the official said.<\/p>\n