The Palestine Chronicle / September 7, 2024
On August 29, prior to an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Borrell announced that he had taken steps to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers.
Tel Aviv informed the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that they could not accommodate his visit on the proposed dates, Israeli media reported on Saturday.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Borrell had notified the Israeli Foreign Ministry of his intention to visit on September 14 and 15.
Israeli officials responded by saying that those dates were not feasible and suggested coordinating the visit after the holidays, which would push the trip to late October after Borrell’s term ends, the report noted.
This development follows sharp criticism of Borrell from Israeli officials over his efforts to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The sanctions are a response to accusations of incitement to hatred and war crimes.
On August 29, prior to an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Borrell announced that he had taken steps to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers for their hate speech targeting Palestinians and proposals that violate international law.
Although he did not name the ministers directly, diplomats confirmed that the sanctions were aimed at Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, both of whom belong to far-right political factions.
Borrell has previously called for these ministers to be held accountable for their statements, which include calls to cut off humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In response, Israeli officials have harshly criticized Borrell.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen accused him of hypocrisy, claiming that Borrell supports the Palestinian Authority financially while seeking to punish Israeli ministers combating terrorism.
Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz echoed the criticism, accusing Borrell of spreading false information about Israeli policies.
Ongoing genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,939 Palestinians have been killed, and 94,616 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
