Borrell admits Europe “must do more” in Gaza, confirms violations of international law

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said on Monday that “what is happening” in Gaza is “a violation of international humanitarian law” and believes that Europe “must do more”.

“Can what is happening in Gaza be justified by the right to defend Israel from a terrorist attack? My answer is no. That answer only binds me, because it is not the official policy of the European Union,” he stressed in Pamplona, ​​where he received the II Navarra Puerta de Europa International Prize in the framework of the European Summer Courses, organized by Navarra diary and Team Europe.

Josep Borrell has indicated that “it cannot be said that the 40,000 deaths in Gaza correspond to the right to defense, because all rights have limits, and those limits are governed by international humanitarian law, and what is happening is a violation of international humanitarian law“.

After this, Borrell stated that “Europe must be more committed, not only in the area of ​​humanitarian aid”, because “it is not much use if you feed me today if I have to die tomorrow.” “Humanitarian aid must be strengthened and the role played by UNRWA must be welcomed. What point have we reached if a United Nations organisation is classified as a terrorist organisation by a United Nations Member State?”

The EU High Representative has called for “working towards finding a political solution to this conflict, but unfortunately that is what has happened dividedThus, he explained that Spain and other countries “have sided with the Palestinian cause, recognizing the state that does not yet exist and are spokespersons for respect for international law” and pointed out that other countries are becoming “more condescending.”

About the situation of UkraineJosep Borrell explained that he was in the Donbas two weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, and “the Prime Minister of Ukraine told me, and I will not forget it: ‘They are going to attack us, and if they attack us, what are you going to do?’ We know that they are not going to come and die for us, and we are not asking them to, but are they going to help us defend ourselves? Defend ourselves?’ And I did not know what to answer, why not? I did not trust that Europe would do it.

The EU High Representative stressed that “the war continues and as long as we help them, they will continue to defend themselves.” Regarding those who say the war would end if Ukraine stopped receiving international support, Borrel stated: “If there was no help, Ukraine would have to surrender within a few weeksRussia was supposed to be in Kiev in two weeks. ‘I know how to end this war, it is very easy. But this is not the way this war ends, of course I want it to end, and those who want it to end the most are the Ukrainians,’ he said.

Borrell has indicated that “all wars end with negotiation and everything is done so that this negotiation takes place”, but he has indicated that this negotiation will not take place “until the outcome of the American elections‘Moreover, he is in favor of continuing to help Ukraine.

According to Borrell, the war in Ukraine is a conflict ‘generated by an imperial power that has invaded another country’ and the conflict in Gaza is ‘a terrible struggle between two peoples for the same land that has been going on for more than a hundred years. A conflict in which we Europeans have an enormous responsibility, because We promised that land to two at once“.