Borrell praised Macron’s request that no more weapons be sent to Israel

The high representative, Josep Borrell, has joined French President Emmanuel Macron in a request to stop sending arms to Israel and that has provoked an angry reaction from Benjamin Netanyahu. “We all say that there have been too many deaths, but the deaths are continuously increasing. That is why the decision taken by the President of the French Republic is so important,” said the head of European diplomacy in a debate in the European Parliament on the anniversary of the Hamas attacks.

“I think that, today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop sending weapons (to Israel) to carry out the fight in Gaza. France doesn’t do that,” Macron said this weekend. Other countries, such as Spain, have stopped granting new licenses directed to that country, although previously contracted weapons continue to be shipped. Macron’s message, which was praised by the EU’s High Representative, was specifically targeted at the United States, which is the main supplier of arms to Israel, and which has increased shipments since the massacre in Gaza began.

Borrell began his speech by condemning the attacks by Hamas and reminding that it was the worst tragedy suffered by the Jewish people since the Holocaust. “Anti-Semitism is the most perverse human invention,” said the Catalan politician, who reiterated the number of Israeli victims and demanded the “unconditional release of the hostages” captured on October 7 last year. He said, “The conclusion drawn from this tragic experience is that the people of Israel cannot look to the future if they are not sure that October 7 will never be repeated.”

From there, he has questioned the expansion of the war to other regions such as Lebanon, and appealed to Israel’s “limits” in its right to self-defense. “There are no good or bad victims in war, only civilian victims, whether Israeli or Palestinian,” he said.

High representatives have also been pessimistic about the resolution of the conflict. “The problem is not only the continuation of the war, but also the failure of political perspective,” Borrell said, acknowledging that the prospect of a ceasefire “seems to be disappearing.” He reiterated, “There has never been more discussion about the conflict between Israel and Palestine than there is now, but never have there been more prospects for a political solution.”

“A major effort must be made for dialogue between the civil societies of Israel and Palestine,” said Borrell, who acknowledged that the approach might seem “absurd” amid bloodshed; But he has assured that diplomatic efforts will continue, for example, at events such as the Union for the Mediterranean meeting in Barcelona on October 27.

“We have to move from mutual rejection to mutual recognition and if someone believes that this is not possible then they have to think of another solution. “If this solution is not possible, what is the solution?” asked Borrell, a staunch defender of the two-state solution, which Netanyahu has consistently rejected.

Borrell has acknowledged that “Europe is absent” in the conflict in the Middle East and has attributed the lack of weight in resolving the conflict to the divisions that exist among member states. A split has emerged in the debate in the European Parliament with European People’s Party spokesman Daniel Caspari (of the German CDU) saying that “the reaction is sometimes too brutal”, but justifying the attacks on Israel on the grounds that “He who uses violence must take responsibility.” “Whoever has barracks and arsenals in civilian neighborhoods must take responsibility for civilian deaths,” he said, in reference to Hezbollah. PP MP Isabelle Benzumia also accused Borrell of “equal distancing”: “Israel is a democratic state that is fighting two terrorist organizations.”

The extreme right, for its part, is beginning to question the EU’s support for the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which it seeks to link to Hamas. Marine Le Pen’s dolphin, Jordan Bardella, has assured that European money will only go to terrorist organizations. Borrell has responded to the accusation by saying that the European Commission itself had conducted an investigation which concluded that there were no problems. Borrell rebuked him, saying, “The auditors will be more stupid than you, Mr. Bardella, they will have less information.” I do not expect you to withdraw that charge.”

“We need a ceasefire and a two-state solution. Selective sympathy has to be abandoned. If we do not stop this through diplomacy and peace proposals, the children of anger will not react positively. Let’s remember that ISIS was born after the invasion of Iraq,” said PSOE MEP Hanna Jaloul.

Sumar MEP Estrella Galan has called for an arms embargo on Israel. “Netanyahu doesn’t care about Israeli victims, he cares about staying in power,” he said in reference to his intention to declare a “regional war.” “How far will we leave him? It is the greatest threat to peace on the planet,” he concluded.

Greens/ALE MP Ana Miranda has questioned the confusion of “anti-Semitism” with “condemnation of genocide”. Asked at the plenary session a year after the massacre in Gaza whether “all deaths matter equally”, he said, “Too many people have died without finding solutions.”