Josep Borrell, the European Union’s (EU) high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said his “most regret was not being able to prevent Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza” during his five-year term, which he will now leave.
Speaking at a conference held at the House of America in Madrid, the Spanish capital, Borrell argued that the EU cannot influence Israel and “cannot be united on this issue because of one country”.
“My biggest regret is that I couldn’t prevent what Netanyahu did in Gaza,” Borrell said, adding:
“Disappointingly, after the terrible terrorist attacks by Hamas, approximately 40,000 people were killed in Gaza, many women and children, the EU failed to achieve unity in the pursuit of a ceasefire and a subsequent political solution. We have been asking Netanyahu for months not to do what he did. ”
Stressing that there are consequences for the EU not having a unified voice against Israel, Borrell said:
“The EU has no importance without unity. Our division in the conflict in Gaza prevented us from being an actor here. Unity over the Ukrainian issue allowed us to become an important actor. Today, unity is threatened by one member state, especially through Ukraine and Gaza, by of a country. Gaza is the biggest proof that we cannot be a major geopolitical actor when we are divided. If we condemn the interruption of water and food supplies in Ukraine, we should do the same in Gaza.”
