EU’s Borrell under Israeli fire over call for sanctions for ‘incitement to war crimes’

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich launched a fierce attack on EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday over his call for imposing sanctions on Israeli government ministers for “incitement to war crimes.”

Last week, Smotrich said that the death of two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from hunger might be “justified and moral” to secure the release of Israelis held by Hamas.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also called for halting the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel shipments into Gaza, which has been a years-long Israeli blockade.

In response, Borrell called for imposing EU sanctions against the two ministers for “incitement to war crimes.”

“While the world pushes for a cease-fire in Gaza, Min. Ben Gvir calls for cutting fuel and aid to civilians,” he said on X. “Like Min. Smotrich sinister statements, this is an incitement to war crimes. Sanctions must be on our EU agenda.”

Smotrich claimed that the top European diplomat’s call for imposing sanctions as a “dangerous indication that he sides with terror.”

“Instead, in order to appease Hamas supporters in Europe, Borrell has decided he’s even willing to sacrifice the people of Gaza just so he can attack Israel while it fights the war of the entire western civilization,” Smotrich said.

“There will be a time in which Europe will be ashamed of Borrell and the double standard that he and many of his friends have applied to Israel.”

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving the entire population on the verge of famine.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has since killed nearly 39,900 victims, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,000 others, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio