The European Union’s foreign policy chief called on the Israeli government on Tuesday (26) to approve a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, which he said has all the security guarantees Israel needs.
Speaking at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Italy, Josep Borrell said there was no excuse for not implementing the Hezbollah deal, adding that pressure must be exerted on Israel to approve it immediately.
“Let’s hope that today [o primeiro-ministro israelense Benjamin] Netanyahu approves the ceasefire agreement proposed by the US and France. No more excuses. No more additional requests”, said Borrell, criticizing hard-line Israeli ministers who spoke out against the negotiation.
In any case, Israel appears ready to approve the US plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah this Tuesday, according to an Israeli official.
Borrell, who said he discussed the prospects for a deal on a recent trip to Lebanon, highlighted that one of the points of disagreement was whether France should be included in a committee monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire, which the US is expected to chair.
He stressed that the Lebanese specifically asked for France’s involvement, but the Israelis have reservations.
“This is one of the points that is still missing”, he commented.
Criticisms about responses to the ICC
Borrell also criticized what he called “Western double standards” in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israel’s former defense chief and a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. in the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
“You cannot applaud when the court goes against [o presidente russo Vladimir] Putin and remain silent when the court goes against Netanyahu”, he pondered, asking European Union member states to support the ICC.
Italy, which holds the Presidency of the G7, said on Monday (25) that it was trying to negotiate a common position for the group on the ICC decision, but progress is difficult as the US warned that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court and oppose the arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
The G7 comprises the USA, Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan.
Understand conflicts in the Middle East
Israel launched a major air and ground offensive against the Hezbollah group in Lebanon in late September. Like Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad are radical groups financed by Iran, and therefore enemies of Israel.
Bombings in Lebanon have intensified in recent months, causing destruction and forcing more than a million people to leave their homes to escape the war. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has already left dozens of people dead in Lebanese territory.
At the same time, the war continues in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli military is fighting Hamas and searching for hostages who were kidnapped more than a year ago during the radical group’s attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. At the time, more than 1,200 people were killed and 250 kidnapped.
Since then, more than 43,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza during the Israeli offensive, which also destroyed virtually every building in the Palestinian territory.
On a third front of conflict, Israel and Iran exchanged attacks, which despite raising tension, did not evolve into an all-out war.
In addition, the Israeli Army has been bombing Iranian-allied militia targets in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. At the moment, truce negotiations are stalled in both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
This content was originally published in Head of EU diplomacy calls on Israel to accept ceasefire in Lebanon “today” on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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