Council to discuss Middle East[fr][de] 

Following the recent escalation in the Middle East, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana visited Lebanon on 16 July 2006 to explore what Europe could do to end the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah . He is expected to brief the EU's foreign ministers on 17 July 2006 on his meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Earlier, the EU's External Relations Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner said that the current "chief problem is the impact of this crisis on civilian lives, and on the infrastructure which sustains those lives". On 14 July 2006, the EU approved an additional 50 million euros in humanitarian aid to meet the needs of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Group of Eight (G8 ) leaders, meeting in St Petersburg on 16 July 2006, had hard time finding a common position on the crisis, the US President George Bush strongly supporting Israel's right to defend itself, whereas the French and Russian Presidents Chirac and Putin called Israeli actions "totally disproportionate". In a common statement , the G8 leaders wish Israel to "be mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions" and expect Hezbollah to immediately halt attacks on Israel and to free the captured Israeli soldiers unharmed.

Amnesty Interntional is calling on the EU to further pressure Israel to stop attacks on civilians and to review its relations with Israel.