Borrell directly blames Israel for the deaths of 112 Palestinians during a food distribution
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell blamed Israel this Saturday for carrying out the massacre of 112 Palestinians in Gaza while they were taking part in a food distribution, saying in a statement that “the shots fired by Israeli soldiers against …”civilians trying to gain access to food cannot be justified.”
With this explicit reference to the Israeli army, Borrell distanced himself from the position expressed on Friday by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who avoided naming Israel as the author of the attacks and called for an investigation to clarify the matter.
This Saturday, the head of European diplomacy not only called for an “impartial international investigation into this tragic event,” but went one step further, declaring that “responsibility for this incident lies with the restrictions imposed by the Israeli army.” Entry and distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
In his opinion, it is Israel's responsibility to “comply with the norms of international law and protect the distribution of humanitarian aid to the civilian population.” However, the community leader also believes that “obstructions to the provision of humanitarian aid by violent extremists” are partly responsible for this tragedy, although he does not explicitly name who it is.
Borrell has called on Israel to “immediately remove obstacles at the Kerem Shalom border crossing and open northern access at the Karni and Erez border crossings, open the port of Ashdod to humanitarian assistance and enable a direct humanitarian corridor from Jordan.” In his opinion, airdrops of food or essential products announced by several countries, including the United States, “should be the solution of last resort” since “their impact is minimal and not without risks to the civilian population.” “. (Efe)