Do you remember the statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, when she announced unconditional support for the Israeli occupation state under the claim of defending its right to self-defence?!
This statement created a dispute within the EU institutions, as foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Ursula von der Leyen does not speak on behalf of the European Union on this matter. He added: “The foreign policy of the European Union is determined by the member states, not by the European Commission or the Commission President.”
He continued, in official remarks published on the website of the EU’s External Action: “The common foreign policy of the European Union is an intergovernmental policy, not a community policy. Therefore, the official position of the European Union on any foreign policy is determined by the guidelines of the high-level political decision in the European Council, chaired by President Charles Michel, and by the ministers of the Foreign Affairs Council, which I chair.”
Although Borrell said that the Union’s position is that Israel has a right to defend itself, he stressed that “this right, like any other, must have limits, and this limit is international law and international humanitarian law”.
Borrell said he agrees with UN Secretary-General António Guterres when he says that the Israeli army’s demand that one million people leave the north of the Gaza Strip within 24 hours is something that cannot be done. The task of moving one million people to the south within 24 hours is an impossible task. You cannot move this number of people in a short period of time, especially if there are no shelters or means of transport. He added: “This will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.”
The European Commission President has not publicly criticised the warning Israel gave to more than one million people in northern Gaza that they must leave their homes within 24 hours or face the risk of death.
