Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s call to link humanitarian aid to Gaza on the retrieval of hostages held by Hamas.
How did Josep Borrell respond to Ben-Gvir’s statements?
“While the World pushes for a ceasefire in #Gaza, Min. Ben Gvir calls for cutting fuel & aid to civilians. Like Min. Smotrich sinister statements, this is an incitement to war crimes. Sanctions must be on our EU agenda,” Borrell, noted on X.
“I urge the Israeli government to unequivocally distance itself from these incitements to commit war crimes, and call it to engage in good faith in the negotiations facilitated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt for an immediate ceasefire,” Borrell added.
What are the implications of linking aid to hostage retrieval?
Remarking on the lasting hostage talks on Sunday, Ben-Gvir suggested the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “stop the transfer of humanitarian aid and fuel until all our hostages are returned home, promote immigration [of Palestinians], and occupy the parts of the Strip to keep them in our hands permanently.”
He expressed days after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggested that Israel “implement a reciprocal humanitarian policy” towards Hamas, which still carries 115 hostages after more than 300 days. “This would entail conditioning our support on the return of our hostages. While our captives endure extreme conditions in underground underpasses, we continue to pamper Gaza with resources. In my estimation, this imbalance presents significant ethical concerns and fails to serve the principles of justice,” Smotrich expressed.
How does Borrell’s position contrast with Israeli government policies?
Last week, Josep Borrell cautioned that Brussels would hold accountable “all those standing in the way of de-escalation” in the Middle East while demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists. In his remarks, which came amid climbing Iranian threats to attack the Jewish state, conceivably dragging the region into all-out war, Borrell did not make evident who the E.U. deems to be hampering de-escalation. A spokesperson subsequently briefed reporters in Brussels that while “it’s not my place to describe in detail every tweet,” the European Union considers the message was “very clear to those who are concerned.”
How has Israel’s Foreign Ministry reacted to Borrell’s remarks?
In May, Israel’s Foreign Ministry criticised Borrell for words in which he panned Jerusalem for rejecting Hamas’s terms. Borrell’s comments were a “dangerous mix of ignorance, hostility and the legitimization of terrorism,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein stated.
In October, Borrell criticised the Israel Defense Forces’ reaction to the Oct. 7 massacre—in which Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mostly Jewish civilians—and seemed to call for an immediate stop to the offensive against the terrorist body, leading to criticism from E.U. leaders.
