‘There is no doubt Israel has genocidal intent� in Gaza: EU’s former top diplomat
Borrell says half of bombs dropped on Palestinian enclave are made in EU
OVIEDO, Spain
The EU’s former foreign policy chief has accused Israel’s government of showing “genocidal intent” in its actions in Gaza, and said many of the bombs dropped on the besieged enclave are produced in Europe.
Josep Borrell, who now heads the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, made the remarks in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Cadena SER Wednesday night.
“Genocide is a legal definition that must be decided by a court, but I have no doubt there is genocidal intent,” said Borrell, citing public statements and actions by Israeli officials. “When you hear what ministers say, when you see what they do, you can't deny that intent.”
The former top EU diplomat slammed the 27-member bloc’s slow response to the crisis in Gaza, adding that its announcement this week to review its trade agreement with Israel is “better late than never.”
He said Spain and Ireland had urged the review in a joint letter to the commission in February 2024, but lamented that it took “15 months and more than 30,000 deaths” for the bloc to start to act.
“If Europe wants, it has a lot of capacity to influence Israel. Half of the bombs dropped in Gaza are made in Europe,” he said.
Borrell also said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has shown “very little empathy for the suffering of Palestinians.”
“We have lost an enormous amount of credibility in the world due to our different treatment of Ukrainians and Palestinians,” he said. “We’ve tried to appease our conscience by offering humanitarian aid, as if it were a natural catastrophe.”
Borrell said he would personally support sanctions on members of the Israeli government and ending arms sales to Israel, though he was skeptical that such measures would be implemented at an EU level.
"The world has a problem with what is happening in Palestine – a serious problem. One side is being cornered and massacred, and they no longer hide their intention to take over all Palestinian territory,” he said, referring to Israel’s actions in both Gaza and the West Bank.
Borrell, a former Spanish foreign minister, ended his mandate as the EU foreign policy chief last December. The position is now held by Estonian politician Kaja Kallas.�
