European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell reaffirmed that Israel “facilitated the development” of Hamas, which carried out the unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war in the Gaza Strip. He also indicated that the President of the European Commission, in her supportive position, In the war on Gaza, Israel “represents no one but itself.”

When asked at a forum in Madrid about his controversial comments in January when he said Israel "created" and "funded" Hamas, Borrell stuck to his guns.

He said, "Israel's play on the division of the Palestinians by creating a force opposed to the Fatah movement is an indisputable reality," according to Agence France-Presse.

He added, "I am not saying that she financed it by sending her a check, but she facilitated the development of Hamas," and the story of the introduction of bags of Qatari dollars to Hamas through Ben Gurion Airport is public and known to everyone.

Borrell confirmed that he was also referring to "a well-known statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he made publicly before his parliamentary bloc, where he said that anyone who opposes the two-state solution must... facilitate... financing Hamas," without providing additional details.

Borrell said, "I have the right" to criticize Netanyahu's government "without being accused of anti-Semitism."

He continued, "This does not prevent me from considering that the Israeli military response in Gaza is disproportionate" because it causes "an excessive number of civilian casualties."

He went on to say, "Everyone seems to agree" on the two-state solution and thus on the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, "except for the Netanyahu government, which has been preventing the implementation of this solution for 30 years."

Borrell said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais, published yesterday, Monday, that Gaza is the focus of international attention, “as 1.7 million Palestinians are crushed in front of the wall.” The newspaper asked what Europe would do in the event of a disaster?

“We are already in the midst of a catastrophe,” Borrell said. “The United Nations was forced to suspend humanitarian aid: Israel is using famine as a weapon of war, and this is against international law. We said that in Ukraine, and it is also true now. Gaza was leveled: the use of force was disproportionate.” 

He pointed out that Spain and Ireland called for the suspension of the association agreement between the European Union and Israel if human rights violations were proven, but he explained that Europe is unable to drag the United States to its demand for a ceasefire, noting that the reason may be that “there is no common position in the Union.” "European"

He pointed out that "at the United Nations, the (European) vote was divided, with 18 votes in favor and 9 members abstaining from voting."

He touched on the German position and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and said that “the weight of history explains Germany’s position at the head of institutions,” as von der Leyen made a visit to Tel Aviv during which she defended Israel’s right to defend itself without placing any restrictions on the government. Israeli.

Borrell said, "The disaster in Gaza is not the result of an earthquake or a flood: it is the result of devastating military action. Hamas is an idea, and an idea can only be fought with another idea: Netanyahu's plans regarding Gaza are unacceptable. The seeds of hatred have been sown for many generations."

He added, "It is no secret that the Israelis financed Hamas and played to divide the Palestinians... and that von der Leyen's trip, with this completely pro-Israel position, without representing anyone but herself in the matter of international politics, has carried a heavy geopolitical cost for Europe."

Source: Agencies