Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, reiterated that Israel "facilitated the development" of Hamas, which carried out the unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that ignited the war in Gaza. He also mentioned that the president of the European Commission, with her supportive stance towards Israel in the war against Gaza, "only represents herself." When asked at a forum in Madrid about his controversial remarks in which he said that Israel "created" and "funded" Hamas, Borrell stood by his position. He stated, "It is an indisputable fact that Israel played on the division of Palestinians by creating an opposing force to Fatah," according to AFP. He added, "I'm not saying they funded it by sending a check, but they facilitated the development of Hamas."
Borrell asserted that he was referring to a "well-known remark" made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who publicly stated to his parliamentary group that anyone opposing the two-state solution should facilitate funding for Hamas, without providing additional details. Borrell said, "I have the right" to criticize Netanyahu's government "without being accused of anti-Semitism." He continued, "This does not prevent me from considering that the Israeli military response in Gaza is disproportionate," as it causes "excessive civilian casualties." He went on to say, "Everyone seems to agree" on a two-state solution and thus the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, "except for Netanyahu's government, which has prevented the implementation of this solution for 30 years."
Borrell stated in an interview with the Spanish newspaper "El Pais," published yesterday, that Gaza represents an international focal point "where 1.7 million Palestinians are being crushed against the wall," questioning what Europe would do in the event of a catastrophe. He said, "We are already in the midst of a catastrophe. The United Nations had to suspend humanitarian aid: Israel is using famine as a weapon of war, which contravenes international law. We said that in Ukraine, and it is also true now. Gaza has been flattened: the use of force has been disproportionate."
He noted that Spain and Ireland called for the suspension of the EU-Israel partnership agreement if human rights violations were proven, but he clarified that Europe is unable to drag the United States into its demand for a ceasefire, noting that the reason might be "there is no common stance in the EU."
