The EU to Netanyahu: “We support UNIFIL; peace talks with Lebanon positive step”

Brussels – The desire to bring an end to the fighting in Lebanon is welcome, but intentions must be backed up by action. The European Commission is observing and will continue to watch: on the one hand, the announcement by the Tel Aviv government that it will enter into negotiations with the Beirut government is “a positive development”, acknowledges Anouar El Anouni, spokesperson for the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, but at the same time “all parties must commit themselves seriously and in good faith.” 

In Brussels, the mood is one of cautious optimism. Cautious because the Jewish state’s military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon have already prompted warnings from Iran and the United States, which include, among other conditions, a halt to Israel’s attacks in the Middle East—a demand that has not yet been met. “Diplomacy, and this is clear, remains the only viable path,” emphasised Kallas’s spokesperson during the usual briefing with the international press. “As the EU, we welcome the Israeli announcement of the launch of peace talks with Lebanon,” and now “we look forward with interest to the actual start of the talks and their outcomes.” 

The European Commission appears to have little confidence in the Israeli government and its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has already faced widespread criticism for the raids on Beirut and has now been warned once again: “With regard to the situation in Lebanon, we call for an immediate cessation of the attacks, which have already caused serious civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure,” continues Kallas’s spokesperson, in what sounds like further criticism of the Jewish state and its actions. 

To Netanyahu, whose armed forces fired on the Italian contingent of UN peacekeepers—much to the disappointment of the government in Rome—is also being sent another reminder: the European Union recognises “full and unconditional support for UNIFIL, in light of its crucial and fundamental role in the stabilisation of Lebanon.” The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon must not be called into question, nor must the international order, and El Anouni makes this clear: as the European Union, “we will continue to support Lebanon together with our Member States and in coordination with the United Nations.”