Josep Borrell, the European Union’s outgoing foreign policy chief, warned on Tuesday that Brussels would hold accountable “all those standing in the way of de-escalation” in the Middle East, while urging an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas.
“Tensions keep escalating in the Middle East, bringing it on the brink of a war of unknown proportions,” tweeted Borrell, who is due to leave his post in the fall. “We all must prevent another catastrophe. The way forward is largely consensual: ceasefire in Gaza, now,” he stated.
“All those standing in the way of de-escalation shall be held accountable,” the 77-year-old Spanish diplomat warned.
Borrell did not clarify who the E.U. deems to be hampering de-escalation, and an inquiry to his office went unanswered as of press time. Borrell’s five-year tenure as the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs was marked by constant attacks on the Jewish state.
The Middle East has been one edge since the Islamic Republic of Iran vowed to avenge last week’s assassination in Tehran of Hamas “political” leader Ismail Haniyeh, for which Iran has blamed Israel.
Tehran’s Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah has also threatened revenge for the targeted killing of its No. 2, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut on July 30. Israel has acknowledged responsibility for the strike.
Hamas has reportedly demanded guarantees from mediators, including the United States, that should a multi-stage ceasefire be agreed to, the Israel Defense Forces will not resume its Gaza campaign as long as negotiations are still ongoing toward the second phase. Israel fears this would allow the terrorist group to drag out the talks indefinitely during the initial phase, effectively making the ceasefire permanent.
One hundred and fifteen hostages, both living and dead, remain captive in Gaza, almost 300 days after Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion. At least dozens are believed to still be alive, the Israeli official told AFP in June.
