Cohen blasts EU foreign policy chief for comparing Palestinian terror with IDF ops

(March 15, 2023 / JNS) Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen sharply criticized E.U. foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell for equating Palestinian terror attacks with operations undertaken by the Israel Defense Forces.

“There is no place for comparisons and creating a balance between Israeli terror victims and Palestinian terrorists supported by the Palestinian Authority,” Cohen told Borrell, according to a statement release by the Foreign Ministry.

Borrell, who serves as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, wrote in an article last week on the commentary site Project Syndicate that “violence on the part of Israeli settlers in the West Bank is increasingly threatening Palestinian lives and livelihoods—almost always with impunity.”

“Moreover, Israeli military operations frequently cause civilian Palestinian deaths, often without effective accountability; illegal settlements are expanding on occupied land; and the delicate status quo concerning Holy Sites is eroding,” he wrote.

Cohen also told Borrell that the European Union should refrain from interfering in internal political issues—a reference to the ongoing fight over judicial reform in Israel.

He added that the E.U.’s positions on Israel continue to be biased and demanded that the E.U. take into account Israel’s complex security reality.

Similarly, in a press conference on Monday with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Cohen asked his counterpart to work to prevent European involvement in Israel’s domestic matters and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The E.U. spokesperson’s office declined to comment on the matter.