The head of diplomacy of the European Union, very committed to a ceasefire in Gaza, once again called on the Twenty-Seven to unite their voice on the war between Israel and Hamas.
“The strength of the EU is its unity.” Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, deplored this Tuesday April 16 in the columns of Le Monde the “clear and deep divisions” of members of the European Union on the war between Israel and Hamas.
Since the start of the conflict on October 7 in the Gaza Strip, Josep Borrell has called for a ceasefire and immediate access to “unhindered” humanitarian aid for the population, the vast majority of whom have been displaced and shelled by Israeli army strikes.
“The strength of the EU is its unity. On this issue, the Europeans have unfortunately shown clear and deep divisions, he noted. This shows the limits of an EU which votes unanimously .”
A “consensual position” to find
He then took the example of France which, according to him, has “changed its position and is now demanding an immediate ceasefire, while others still believe that this would not allow Israel to defend itself.”
According to Josep Borrell, the European Union should have the same “consensual position” on Gaza as on Ukraine, at war since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
“If saying that cutting off water, electricity, food to a besieged population is against international law in Ukraine, then it is the same thing in Gaza,” he said. And to conclude: “If we do not accept this universalist position, we are accused of ‘double standards'”.
The war was sparked on October 7 by an attack launched by Hamas commandos infiltrated from the neighboring Gaza Strip in southern Israel, which caused the deaths of at least 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to a AFP count based on official Israeli data.
In response, Israel vowed to “annihilate” Hamas and launched a military offensive that left more than 33,000 dead, the vast majority civilians, according to the Hamas health ministry.
This article is originally published on bfmtv.com
