Borrell on the Israeli offensive in Gaza: “It is morally unacceptable to kill one guilty person and kill 300 innocent people at the same time.”
The EU's High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, has once again emerged as the most critical voice of the joint executive branch of the government and the Israeli army for the siege and destruction of the Gaza Strip as part of its offensive to end Hamas's response to the attacks on January 7 October. “It is morally unacceptable to kill one guilty person and at the same time kill 300 innocent people,” he claimed in a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “There must be another way to fight Hamas, another alternative than the death of so many innocent people, including so many children,” said the head of European diplomacy.
In a debate that highlighted the EU's disunity over calls for a ceasefire, Borrell defended UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who had faced strong criticism from Israeli government Benjamin Netanyahu for his criticism of Israel and its intention to Advance resolutions calling for a ceasefire.
These disqualifications against Guterres “mean the disqualification of the United Nations as a fundamental body that guarantees or advocates for peace and stability in the world,” the head of European diplomacy said. “These attacks are completely unjustified. “It is the honor of Europe to defend the Secretary General,” emphasized Borrell, who defended the right to criticize Israel and its actions while condemning Hamas: “I claim the right to criticize the way Israel behaves without being accused of being anti-hostile.” -Semitic. “I assert the right to the existence of the Palestinian state without questioning the state of Israel.”
As Israel's offensive in Gaza continues, the EU is analyzing the steps to be followed now and after the war, but always under the premise of the need to promote the two-state solution: Palestine and Israel, which also highlighted as the best guarantee will provide security for Israel. Something that Netanyahu rejects, however.
“Unfortunately, the Israeli Prime Minister repeatedly speaks out against this political solution. “He reiterated that this is the small guarantee that there will never be a Palestinian state,” complained the head of European diplomacy, who, citing several speeches by Netanyahu about Hamas, criticized the Israeli prime minister for his past with the Islamist organization had attacked. Declared terrorist by the EU and killed 1,300 people on October 7th. “‘If you want to prevent there ever being a Palestinian state, you have to support Hamas. And he has to transfer money to Hamas. That’s what we do, part of our strategy.” Do you know who said that? “Mr Netanyahu, in March 2019,” Borrell opened.