Europe condemns Netanyahu: “Attacks in Lebanon are unjustified”

Brussels – The European Union and its member states stand united against Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to alienate the Old Continent and isolate himself even further following the attacks launched in Lebanon following the ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran, which was immediately called into question by a campaign against Hezbollah that traditional partners no longer support. At this moment, the ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are of greater importance. Italy was among the first to make this clear, with a statement condemning Netanyahu’s actions: “Hezbollah’s decision to drag the nation into this conflict was irresponsible, but the ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon, which have already caused too many deaths and an unacceptable number of displaced persons, must cease immediately.” 

The Meloni government’s stance has been reiterated by the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani: “We condemn the bombing of the Lebanese civilian population,” said the Foreign Minister, who described Israel’s air strikes as “unjustifiable and unacceptable.” French President Emmanuel Macron struck a similar tone: “We condemn the air strikes in the strongest possible terms,” he said, expressing concern at the scale of the military operations. The attacks “pose a direct threat to the sustainability of the ceasefire reached.” These words sound like a direct accusation against the Tel Aviv government, which Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also lambasted: “The European Union must suspend its association agreement with Israel” and take action against Netanyahu himself, if necessary, as “there must be no impunity in the face of these criminal acts.” 

The last to react, chronologically, is the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, further evidence of the European Commission’s hesitation to take a stand against Israel. Kallas’s line mirrors that of Italy: “Hezbollah has dragged Lebanon into war,” the High Representative states, “but Israel’s right to self-defense does not justify this destruction.” So, to be clear, she points out that, according to the EU executive, it is “difficult to argue that such heavily repressive actions fall within the scope of legitimate self-defense.” 

The Five Star Movement delegation issues accusations in Parliament: “The massacre carried out by the Israeli army in Lebanon stems from a clear attempt to sabotage the tentative glimmers of peace that had emerged in the Middle East and the Gulf following the ceasefire between Iran and the United States,” the Five Star Movement members said in a press release.