Fiuggi (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted the Israeli government supports a proposed ceasefire agreement in Lebanon which he expressed has all the necessary security guarantees for Israel.
At the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Italy, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell called for increased pressure on Israel to blunt extremists in the government who are declining to accept the deal. Borrell cautioned that if a ceasefire is not enforced, “Lebanon will fall apart.”
How does Borrell urge pressure on Israelis?
As reported by Reuters, Borrell slammed hard-line Israeli ministers who have voiced against the deal and said “Let’s hope that today Netanyahu will approve the ceasefire agreement proposed by the U.S. and France. No more excuses. No more additional requests.” EU’s diplomat said under the proposed deal, the U.S. would chair a ceasefire undertaking committee, with France partaking at the request of Lebanon. “On the proposal agreement brokered by the U.S. and France, Israel has all security concerns (addressed),” Borrell briefed journalists in Fiuggi, Italy. “There is no excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart.”
Are Western nations supporting the ICC’s warrants on war crimes?
Josep Borrell also slammed what he saw as Western double standards on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) detention warrants for Netanyahu, his ex-defence chief, and a Hamas leader, for alleged war offences and crimes against humanity in the Gaza confrontation. Borrell stated the signatories to ICC, including six of the seven G7 partners, are obliged under international law to respect and enforce the court’s decisions.
“Like it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as effective as any national court,” Borrell expressed. “And if the Europeans don’t support the International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice.”
Following the October 2023 Hamas episodes in Israel, months of back-and-forth battle between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah have exploded into a full-blown war in recent months, with Israel killing Hezbollah’s main heads and sending ground forces into southern Lebanon.
Israeli storm has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and injured more than 15,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
