On the occasion of the anniversary of the attacks by the terrorist group Hamas against Israel, the head of community diplomacy, Joseph Borrelladmitted this Monday that the European Union is “deeply absent” in the search for solutions to the conflict in Middle East because of the fstrong divisions between member states. In a clearly pessimistic speech to the plenary session of the European Chamber, Borrell deplored the absolute lack of prospects for achieving a ceasefire and a political solution for peace in the region.
“The tragedy is that Europe is profoundly absent from this conflict, probably because the member states, which dictate foreign policy, we are deeply divided. We are the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority. We are the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Gaza. But nevertheless, when it comes time to vote at the United Nations, some of us vote for, others vote against, and still others abstain. And we do not perceive the horror of what is happening in Gaza or the West Bank in the same way,” Borrell acknowledged.
In the year that has passed since the October 1 attacks, the Twenty-seven They have repeatedly displayed their differences in public on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On the one hand, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia were the first to demand a ceasefire from the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and they recognized the Palestinian state alone, apart from the rest of the European partners.
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At the opposite extreme, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic have always and unreservedly defended Israel’s actions. in Gaza. The other member states oscillate in intermediate positions. The result is that the EU has not been able to speak with one voice in 12 months of conflict and has therefore been unable to exert any influence.
In his speech to the European Parliament, Borrell once again condemned the 7-O attacks and called for unconditional release of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. He also rejected Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel from Lebanon, as well as the missile launches by Iran first on April 13 and then on October 1 or the “wave of anti-Semitism” since the new outbreak of the conflict.
At the same time, the head of European diplomacy repeated that Israel’s right to defense had “limits”, which depend on respect for international humanitarian law. “In war, there are neither good nor bad victims. There are simply civilian victimswhether Israeli or Palestinian. And all victims are equal. “Just as we mourn the fate of those who were murdered on October 7, we must also consider what happened, what is happening in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians died under bombs,” he insisted. Borrell.
The High Representative denounces that the possibility of a ceasefire now seems more distant than ever. “Never have we talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as much as today, but perhaps never with so little prospect of a political solution.” A political perspective that “seems to have disappeared in the midst of the tragedy we are experiencing”.
For Borrell, the answer remains a two-state solution. “The tragedy is that this solution, the only one we know of to try to build peace, does not have the support of one of the most important parties to the problem, namely the current government of Israel,” he said. -he emphasized. The head of community diplomacy nevertheless defended that Europe’s “responsibility” is “to open up the hope of peace, which can only come from dialogue and agreement”. “We must move from mutual rejection to mutual recognition”concluded.
