2024-10-01 08:31:03
EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell expressed regret that no force, including the United States, is capable of “stopping” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He noted that, apparently, the head of the Israeli government is determined to continue military operations in Lebanon and Gaza. The head of the EU foreign policy agency spoke to reporters at the UN General Assembly.
“We are trying to apply diplomatic pressure to achieve a ceasefire, but no one seems to be able to stop Netanyahu,” Borrell said.
The top European official also reaffirmed his support for the French and US initiative for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, which Israel ignored as it intensified attacks on Hezbollah terrorist targets in a multi-day campaign that “led to hundreds of casualties.”
Borrell noted that Netanyahu had made clear the Israelis’ intention “not to stop until Hezbollah is eliminated,” similar to the nearly year-long operation in Gaza against the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hamas.
The outgoing EU foreign policy chief has again called on the US to consider more diverse approaches in diplomacy as its attempts to broker a truce in Gaza, including the release of hostages, have failed over the past few months.
“We cannot rely only on the United States. The United States tried several times; it didn’t work out. I don’t see that they are ready to start the negotiation process again, which could lead to a new Camp David,” Borrell concluded.
Earlier, Cursor wrote that headlines from many Israeli media foreshadow an imminent ceasefire in Lebanon, citing a new Sky News report. According to unnamed US administration officials, the channel was told that they “expect” the three-week pause to be announced “in the coming hours.”