‘Global Justice’ – Outgoing EU Chief Borrell’s Statements on Israel, Gaza Genocide

November 28, 2024 News
EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell. (Photo: European Parliament, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The tenure of the European Commission’s Vice President and Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell is soon to conclude.

Spanish-born Borrell took office on December 1, 2019, succeeding Federica Mogherini, the Italian politician, in the official role of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The 77-year-old has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that began more than a year ago and has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians and injured over 100,000, mainly women and children.

Here is a brief look at some of the statements Borrell has made in the past few months:

‘We Cannot Undermine ICC’

On Thursday, November 28, at the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, Borrell told reporters: “After what has happened in Gaza and what’s happened in the West Bank, this is a different Israel. And we have to deal with this situation in which a prime minister and former minister of defense are being issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court.

“I want to make a call to all members of the international community, and in particular to the members of the European Union. We cannot undermine the International Criminal Court.

“It is the only way of having global justice. It is the only way to implement accountability. If the Europeans don’t support fully the international court, without procrastion, then the international criminal court will not work.”

‘Obliged to Implement (ICC) Decision’

On Saturday, he said EU member states were obliged to carry out arrest warrants issued by the ICC against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

“The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It’s not optional,” Borrell was quoted by Reuters as saying.

‘No Pick and Choose’ – EU Chief Says Member States Obliged to Implement ICC Decisions

The White House and Israel had rejected the ICC’s decision, with Netanyahu calling it “antisemitic.”

“Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government – (they are) being accused of antisemitism,” Borrell was further reported as saying.

“I have the right to criticise the decisions of the Israeli government, be it Mr Netanyahu or someone else, without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable. That’s enough,” he added.

‘There is No Pick & Choose’

On X, Borrell stated that on X that “ICC arrest warrants are judicial, not political & have nothing to do w/ antisemitism.”

He added that since its creation, the EU “has always strongly supported the ICC.”

“Its decisions are legally binding: there is no pick & choose. Threats against it are unacceptable, incl. from US Senate,” Borrell added.

‘Pressure Israeli Government’

Ahead of an EU meeting on Monday, November 18, Borrell said “Many people try to stop the war in Gaza … This has not happened yet. I do not see hope for this to happen (soon). That is why we have to put pressure on the Israeli government.”

‘Import Ban’

The week before, Borrell said on X that he has “proposed to EU Member States to ban import of products from illegal settlements and to suspend the political dialog with Israel.”

“After a year of unheeded pleas about the situation in Gaza, we cannot continue with business as usual,” he emphasized.

‘Legal Responsibility’

On October 26, Borrel called for immediate action to end “the human tragedy unfolding in Gaza.”

“I join UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in his call for immediate action by world leaders to bring about an end to the human tragedy unfolding in Gaza,” Borrell said in a statement.

“By signing the Geneva Conventions, signatories have a legal responsibility to ensure adherence to international law by all parties involved. It is our duty to protect civilians and human rights, and it is high time to act on it,”  the EU chief stressed.

‘Another Horror’

In September, Borrell canceled a planned visit to Israel, while he was on a regional tour that took him to Egypt and Lebanon for talks on regional tensions over Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip. He reportedly told Israel’s ambassador to the EU, Haim Regev, that he decided to cancel his visit to Israel after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz refused to permit it, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported, cited by the Anadolu news agency.

Trip Canceled – EU Chief Will Not Visit Israel as Permit Refused

‘Disregard of IHL’

On September 12, he expressed his outrage over Israeli airstrikes on a UN-run school which killed at least 18 people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip a day earlier.

He said on X: ‘The disregard of the basic principles of IHL, especially protection of civilians, cannot & should not be accepted by the int. Community.”

On September 9, while on a visit to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, Borrell said the future of Gaza concerns the entirety of the Middle East.

“What is happening in Gaza today is another horror. It is not just a matter of defending, it is, I think, a massive violation of human rights,” he told reporters.

‘Completely Unacceptable’

On August 29, Borrell slammed the call by Israel’s foreign minister to displace Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as “completely unacceptable”.

‘Completely Unacceptable’ – EU Chief Slams Israeli FM’s Call to Displace Palestinians in West Bank

“I​​t is still more worrisome the call from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel (Yisrael Katz) to displace people from the West Bank, doing more or less the same thing that they did with the people in Gaza,” Borrell told reporters ahead of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

“This is completely unacceptable, and I hope that the Ministers will raise their voice against the situation in Gaza, in the West Bank, the treatment of the United Nations, and the way this war is being performed in accordance or, in violation of the humanitarian law.”

‘Incitement to War Crimes’

On August 11, Borrel described the statement by Israel’s Minister of National Security calling for humanitarian aid to Gaza to be cut, as an “incitement to war crimes.”

“While the World pushes for a ceasefire in Gaza, Min. Ben Gvir calls for cutting fuel & aid to civilians,” Borrell said on X late on Sunday. “Like Min. Smotrich sinister statements, this is an incitement to war crimes.”

UNRWA Not ‘Terrorist’

In July, Borrell said the EU rejected the labeling of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) as a “terrorist organization.”

“We reject any attempts to label UNRWA as a ‘terrorist organization’. How can a United Nations agency be considered a terrorist organization,” Borrell said.

EU’s Borell: ‘UNRWA is Not a Terrorist Organization’

His comments were made at a joint press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, in Brussels on the sidelines of the 15th meeting of the EU-Jordan Association Council.

Late in May, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, passed a preliminary motion to approve a bill designating UNRWA as a “terrorist organization.”

Criticism of Von Der Leyen

In February, Borrell reportedly accused European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen of siding with Israel by obstructing efforts to recognize the Palestinian state in Europe.

‘Von Der Leyen’s Trip to Israel had High Cost for Europe’ – Borrell

According to the Middle-East Monitor (MEMO), Borrell said in an interview with El Pais newspaper, that  “Von der Leyen’s trip to Israel, with such an absolutely supportive position of Israel, in which she represents no one else in a matter related to international politics, had a high geopolitical cost for Europe.”

‘Inflammatory and Dangerous’

Also in February, Borrell criticized Israel’s announcement to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying it constitutes “a grave breach of international law.”

“The announcement by Israeli Minister (Bezalel) Smotrich to build 3,300 new units in illegal West Bank settlements is inflammatory and dangerous,” Borrell said on X.

‘Appalling Lack of Distinction’

In December 2023, Borrell condemned what he described as Israel’s indiscriminate targeting of civilians in Gaza, declaring an urgent need for a “humanitarian pause.”

“We are witnessing an appalling lack of distinction in Israel’s military operation in Gaza,” Borrell wrote on X, citing the recent deaths of “worshippers, three Israeli hostages, and hundreds of other civilians” at the hands of the Israeli army.

“Far too many civilians have been killed in Gaza, as pointed out among others also by the French, German, and UK foreign ministers,” the diplomat continued.

Borrell is expected to be succeeded by the former premier of Estonia, Kaja Kallas.

In November 2023, Kallas accused Hamas of “waging a ruthless campaign of terror …”

“Israel is fully entitled to defend itself. But it must do so in a way that spares innocent lives and adheres to the norms of international law,” she said, according to a press statement.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

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