European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell expressed regret on Friday, stating that no power, including the United States, seems capable of stopping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking to a small group of journalists during the United Nations General Assembly, Borrell said, “What we are doing is applying all possible diplomatic pressure to achieve a ceasefire, but it appears that no one has the ability to stop Netanyahu—neither in Gaza nor in the occupied West Bank.”
Borrell voiced support for the French-American initiative to establish a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon—a proposal that Israel ignored as it intensified strikes across Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah positions.
Borrell noted that Netanyahu has made it clear that Israelis “will not stop until Hezbollah is destroyed,” similar to the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, which has lasted nearly a year.
“If the definition of ‘destruction’ is the same as what we’ve seen with Hamas, then we are heading toward a prolonged war,” Borrell added.
The EU’s Foreign Affairs Chief also called for diversifying diplomatic efforts beyond the United States, which has failed to broker a ceasefire in Gaza that would include the release of hostages.
“We cannot rely solely on the United States. They have tried multiple times, but have not succeeded,” he stated.
Borrell further remarked, “I don’t see the U.S. being prepared to initiate a new negotiation process that could lead to another Camp David,” referring to the 2000 summit where former President Bill Clinton unsuccessfully attempted to mediate a historic agreement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a speech at the UN on Friday, Netanyahu vowed to achieve Israel’s objectives against Hezbollah, which began launching attacks on Israel following Hamas’s assault on October 7th.
