“Serious concern” and a call for a ceasefire in Lebanon. This is the gist of the European Union’s official statements regarding the repeated attacks perpetrated by the Israeli army (IDF) against United Nations forces in Lebanon (Unifil), which left several peacekeepers injured. The “soft” line of Brussels and other European capitals, as well as the official statement released yesterday by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, was reiterated today 14 October by the Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg.
Despite the “serious violations” of international law by targeting peacekeepers, no concrete measures will be taken immediately against the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Many member states, EU diplomatic chief Borrell said, lean towards prudence when it comes to Tel Aviv. This does not apply to Spain, which has been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza for months and has severely rebuked the attacks against the Unifil mission, adopting an embargo on sending weapons to Israel since October 7.
The escalation in the Middle East
On October 13, Israel intensified its advance into southern Lebanon with the entry of two Israeli tanks into the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) base. Some Lebanese Red Cross paramedics were reportedly injured in the raid. Three Lebanese soldiers were injured in an attack on a vehicle in the south of the country, while the IDF launched bombs near a border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. A mosque was destroyed in an attack that left at least four dead. Hezbollah responded by killing four dead Israeli soldiers and wounding 58, including seven in serious condition, by striking an Israeli military base near Binyamina with a drone. It is the bloodiest attack since Tel Aviv launched the ground invasion of Lebanon.
Brussels reprimands Israel for attack on Unifil soldiers
The escalation in the Middle East and the situation in Gaza and Lebanon are at the center of the summit of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. On the agenda are “possible EU responses to the conflict in Gaza and the Middle East, with particular attention to concerns relating to regional repercussions, especially after the attack on Lebanon and the involvement of Iran”. On the night of 13 October, serious concern was expressed in a letter signed by the outgoing EU diplomatic chief on behalf of the entire Union, the Spaniard Josep Borrell. “All actors have the obligation to take necessary measures to ensure the safety of United Nations personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of the United Nations premises at all times,” the document reads.
What is the Unifil mission: Israel’s attack and Italy’s protests
“We urgently await explanations and a thorough investigation by the Israeli authorities into the attacks against Unifil, which play a vital role in the stability of southern Lebanon,” the letter continues. “We are also deeply concerned by Hezbollah’s continued rocket fire into Israel, which must cease, and by IDF attacks in densely populated areas of Lebanon, taking a heavy toll on civilians and displacing many. We urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law, in all circumstances”, continues the text, which ends with a request for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. In short, a diplomatic tirade towards Israel but nothing more.
EU member states divided over Israel
Upon arriving at the Foreign Affairs Council, Borrell implied that the statements were the result of a compromise and that he would have acted more quickly. “It took us too long to say something more than obvious, namely that it is unacceptable to attack Unifil: I would have liked the Member States to reach an agreement more quickly,” said the High Representative, implying that the statement was the the result of a long discussion. “The 27 countries have agreed on a text that asks Israel to stop the attacks against Unifil. Many Europeans participate in this mission, their work is very important, it is completely unacceptable to attack United Nations troops”, added the Spanish diplomat. He underlined that there is no agreement among the 27 member states on the arms embargo on Israel, highlighting that some countries are asking to “increase” deliveries and not reduce them.
On the request for withdrawal of Unifil troops from Lebanon
Among the countries that have spoken out most decisively against Israel are Ireland and Spain. Both governments have already exposed themselves in recent months, recognizing the State of Palestine. Regarding a possible withdrawal of the United Nations forces, feared in recent days, the Spanish prime minister also intervened. “There will be no withdrawal of Unifil troops in Lebanon, as we confirm our commitment to the mission established with United Nations Resolution 1701 and which today has more significance than ever considering what is happening on the ground”, said Pedro Sanchez during the his speech at the international World in Progress forum underway in Barcelona. The withdrawal had been requested in recent days from the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres directly by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The Spanish request for an arms embargo on Israel
“It’s time for the international community to wake up, it’s time to act decisively, with enormous empathy with the Israeli population for what they have suffered, but also decisively against Netanyahu’s government, which wants to impose a new order in the region with come on,” Sanchez said. The socialist leader is among those who have opted for an arms embargo on Israel, repeatedly asking the international community to adopt the same choice. “It must be done for a simple reason: without weapons there is no war,” he added during the forum. The Iberian prime minister also urged the European Commission to suspend the EU/Israel association agreement if it finds violations of human rights.
Israel’s response and that of Unifil
Regarding the operations against Unifil, Israel made it known that “the attacks against the blue helmets were the result of errors at a tactical level and that it would analyze all the activities carried out on the ground, ensuring that there would no longer be errors of this kind against of UN posts”. This is what the new Chief of Defense Staff, General Luciano Portolano, reported in an interview with Republic. Portolano reported that he had a conversation with the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces, Herzi Halevi.
Words that do not reassure the Unifil forces in Lebanon, which includes numerous Italian peacekeepers. “The situation remains very serious and is getting worse by the hour. The last two weeks have seen daily attacks against the mission, attacks that were deliberate by the Israeli army”, Unifil spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told RaiNews24. “Immediately afterwards the Israelis told us to leave the areas and positions near the Blue Line, but the mission decided to stay, because we are here on a UN mandate which is a Security Council mandate. We are staying because it is important maintain an international presence in the south of the country”, reiterated the spokesperson.
