“My greatest frustration” – EU chief Borrell regrets his failure to end the Gaza war

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has reportedly said his biggest regret during his time in office was his failure to influence the Israeli government to prevent death and destruction in the Gaza Strip.

At the meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Madrid on Thursday, Borrell said the EU had been “not an actor” in the crisis, the Anadolu news agency reported.

“Nearly 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza, many of them women and children, and how many months later has the international community and the EU still failed to reach a ceasefire and think about a political solution?” he lamented.

“This is my greatest frustration and the clearest example of how, given the division of the EU, we cannot even fulfil the role of geopolitical actor that we claim to be.”

He also reportedly said the EU’s credibility was at risk due to its “division” and “irrelevance” to the situation, adding: “The heart of the EU could lie beneath the ruins of Gaza.”

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Borrell stressed: “Showing clearly to the world that lives matter, whether in Ukraine or in Gaza, is one of the European Union’s most important political concerns. And if we say that cutting off water, electricity and food supplies to civilians is a war crime when we talk about Ukraine, we must use the same words when we talk about Gaza. But that is not the case.”

Borrell said the EU would be judged by other nations – from Southeast Asia to Latin America to Africa – on its “ability to defend fundamental principles” and its response to this war.

“Crisis within the crisis”

On Friday, the EU said They are “deeply concerned” about the Israeli army’s evacuation order for civilians from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

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In a joint statement on Friday, Borrell and Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic said about 250,000 people were “affected” by the evacuation. assignments This also threatens the patients of the European Hospital – one of the few hospitals in the south that is still partially functioning.

“The forced evacuations create a humanitarian crisis within the crisis,” the EU officials said. “They are exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian situation in which nearly 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced within the Gaza Strip, as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Gaza Reconstruction and Development, Sigrid Kaag, told the Security Council.”

“There are no facilities to accommodate people and humanitarian partners are struggling to meet the immense needs of the newly displaced,” the statement said.

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“Must be compatible with international humanitarian law”

On Monday, the Israeli army called on residents of eastern Khan Yunis to leave the area immediately because it had allegedly become a “dangerous combat zone.”

The Israeli army reportedly ordered people to go to designated humanitarian zones in the western part of the city, particularly the Al-Mawasi neighborhood.

EU representatives stated that evacuations “must not be considered prohibited forced displacement and must be in line with international humanitarian law” and that Palestinians asked to evacuate must be guaranteed safety during their journey and adequate accommodation in the refuge areas.

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“Israel is equally responsible for ensuring that the displaced persons can return to their homes or their usual places of residence after the cessation of hostilities,” the statement said.

The officials said a ceasefire was “even more important now” and reiterated the “legally binding” orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 26 and May 24, in which the court ordered Israel to immediately end its military offensive in Rafah.

In January, the ICJ called on Israel to refrain from actions that could lead to genocide and to allow humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.

Khan Yunis has been the subject of numerous attacks and raids since the current assault on the enclave began last October.

Rising death toll

Israel, which is currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against the Palestinians, has been waging a devastating war against Gaza since October 7.

According to the Gaza Strip Health Ministry, 38,000 Palestinians were killed and 87,445 injured. In addition, at least 11,000 people are missing, presumed to have perished under the rubble of their homes throughout the Gaza Strip.

According to Israel, 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the flood relief operation in Al-Aqsa on October 7. Israeli media reported that many Israelis were killed by friendly fire that day.

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Palestinian and international organizations say the majority of the dead and injured are women and children.

The Israeli war led to an acute famine, especially in the north of the Gaza Strip, and caused the deaths of many Palestinians, especially children.

The Israeli aggression also resulted in the forced displacement of nearly two million people from across the Gaza Strip. The vast majority of those displaced were forced to the densely populated southern city of Rafah, near the Egyptian border. It was the largest mass exodus from Palestine since the Nakba of 1948.

As the war progressed, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began to move from the south to central Gaza in search of safety.

(PC, Anadolu)