Josep Borrell had to defend the United Nations and its Secretary General, António Guterres, against attacks from the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared him persona non grata, and from the far right in the European Parliament. Furthermore, the high representative demanded that the organization’s deployment in the Middle East be strengthened to mitigate escalation as much as possible: “If the UN forces are not reinforced, it will be difficult to restructure the region and prevent Lebanon from becoming a “new Gaza.” »
The head of European diplomacy made the statement during a debate in the European Parliament entitled “The escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon”, in which the European People’s Party eliminated the reference to Gaza in alliance with the armed forces. of the far right, with which he has a majority in the Conference of Presidents (the body similar to the Congressional Council, responsible for organizing parliamentary activity).
The high representative, who recalled that this is the fourth time that Israel has invaded Lebanon since 1978, recalled that 20% of the population was displaced (150,000 people to Syria) and that the bombings cost the lives of 2,000 civilians. And he called on “the elites of this country” to take “responsibility” and guarantee governance after “decades of instability”. “It would be essential to achieve a ceasefire through diplomatic procedures; it is obvious that Lebanon has an internal problem that the Lebanese themselves must resolve,” he stressed.
Borrell spoke about the domino effect in the region: “Hezbollah attacks against Israel come in response to the war in Gaza, Israel responds, Iran responds… We are waiting for an escalation and that is what we are trying to do.” to avoid.” “The only solution is internal, that the political classes of Lebanon assume their responsibilities and ensure the governance of the country and, on the other hand, that a ceasefire is obtained which prevents this war from continuing in Lebanon, against the Hezbollah, yes, but in a dramatic way. affecting the population of Lebanon,” he said in reference to the justification that the right and the far right have given to Israeli attacks on that territory.
On the EU side, he explained that 40 million euros in humanitarian aid had been released and that a consular operation was being coordinated to allow the return of 45,000 Europeans to the area, but he admitted that for the moment “more places are offered than expected”. is expected.” are required.” Spain has already sent two repatriation planes and other countries, such as Belgium and the United Kingdom, have also done so.
“The UN Secretary General has never justified Hamas attacks. To say this is a very serious accusation against someone who represents an organization as important for security and peace in the world as the UN,” Borrell responded to a far-right MEP who had accused Guterres of justifying Hamas. “To explain is not to justify. Explanations can be sought for all human acts and that does not mean they are justified,” said Borrell, who defended the UN presence in the region with troops that Vox MEP called “useless”.
Borrell used the opportunity to ask the leader of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, Jordan Bardella, to present proof that UNRWA (the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees) is helping Hamas, as he claims said during a debate on Monday. “I am still waiting for the evidence you have to provide us that we, the EU, are financing Hamas. I am sure that the president will be very interested in meeting them,” declared the high representative to the far-right parliamentarian, who on this occasion did not participate.
