As a ceasefire deal hangs in the balance between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, The European Union’s top diplomat has said Israel has “no excuses” to refuse to accept a deal.
Josep Borrell said all Israel’s security concerns had been addressed in the U.S.-French-brokered deal and has called for increased pressure on Israel to accept. There are a few extremists within the Israeli government who many are worried will prevent a deal from being made.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security Cabinet was set to convene on Tuesday to discuss a proposed ceasefire, while Israel continues to demand to reserve the right to act if Hezbollah violates its obligations under the deal.
When speaking to reporters in Fiuggi, Italy, Borrell said, “On the proposal agreement brokered by the U.S. and France, Israel has all security concerns (addressed). There is no excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart.”
Since the October 7th 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, there have been months of back-and-forth fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Israel has since killed Hezbollah’s main leaders and sent ground forces into southern Lebanon.
More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict while more than 15,000 have been wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Around 90 Israeli soldiers and nearly 50 Israeli civilians have been killed by rockets, drones and missiles in northern Israel and the fighting on the ground in Lebanon.
Borrell will end his term as the European Union’s top diplomat on Dec. 1 and said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers that the U.N. Security Council demand humanitarian assistance to reach Palestinians in Gaza. He says that aid deliveries there have been obstructed.
He said, “The two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days. Hunger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.”
This comes after The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former defense minister, charges which Israel has denied and labelled antisemitic.
Borrell has said that the signatories to ICC, including six of the seven G7 members, need to respect and implement the court’s decisions, as they are obliged to under international law. The U.S. is not obliged to respect the court’s rulings as it is not a signatory, and has called the arrest warrants “outrageous.”
Speaking about the charges, Borrell said, “Like it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court, and if the Europeans don’t support the International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice.”
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