RT.com
20 Nov 2023, 23:43 GMT+10
The ?terrible? Hamas attack on the Jewish state does not justify the ?horror? imposed on civilians in Gaza, Josep Borrell has said
Israel must take all necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties as it continues its aerial and ground attacks in Gaza against the Palestinian armed group Hamas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has said.
In an interview with Spanish daily El Pais on Monday, Borrell - who admitted to being "a bit pro-Palestinian" - reiterated that while he condemns Hamas' attack on Israel, "one horror does not justify another horror," referring to the relentless bombing of the enclave.
The EU top diplomat said he had reminded Israeli officials that "war has its rules" and "the bombings have to take into account the casualties they are causing," telling them that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has been abhorrent. In the aftermath of the Hamas attack, Israel announced a "complete siege" of the enclave, with only a handful of humanitarian aid trucks allowed to enter from neighboring Egypt.
Meanwhile, Borrell expressed uncertainty regarding Israeli claims that the powerful strikes on buildings in Gaza were meant to destroy hidden underground tunnels built by Hamas. "They are, they aren't, I personally don't know. They suspect they are," he told the paper.
Hamas officials have on numerous occasions confirmed that they have a sprawling network of tunnels in Gaza, believed to extend as far as Egypt, and said that it is aimed at confronting the Israeli "occupation."
Borrell also stressed that the conflict between Israel and Palestine "cannot be solved with the mass exodus of more than two million" people from Gaza, and that only a political solution has a chance of succeeding. "If Israel wants to build peace, it cannot sow more hatred now," he added, noting that the outcome of the conflict depends in large part on whether the two sides are able to negotiate the release of more than 240 hostages held by Hamas.
Since the start of hostilities on October 7, the EU has acknowledged Israel's right to self-defense and backed calls for a humanitarian pause. However, some European countries - as well as the United States, which is Israel's main backer - have been reluctant to urge both sides to agree to a ceasefire, citing concerns about whether such an agreement would guarantee the country's security in the future.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Israel Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Israel Herald.
More InformationMOSCOW, Russia: Just hours after his sudden dismissal by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit,...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
LONDON, U.K.: This week, BP appointed Simon Henry, former Shell finance chief, to its board as a non-executive director effective September...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...