The Israeli government has accused UNIFIL of acting as a “human shield” for Hezbollah and demanded its immediate removal from southern Lebanon.
Israel’s attacks on UN peacekeeping troops in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are “completely unacceptable,” Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy, has said, echoing the strong condemnation voiced across the bloc in reaction to the latest developments in the Middle East.
UNIFIL is an international mission established by the United Nations Security Council in 1978 to restore peace and security in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border. The mission comprises 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 nationalities, including 16 EU countries.
“Their work is very important. It’s completely unacceptable attacking United Nations troops,” Borrell said on Monday morning before heading into a meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Luxembourg.
Over the weekend, UNIFIL denounced the Israeli Defence Forces for forcing their way into one of the mission’s positions, destroying the main gate and causing mild injuries to at least 15 soldiers.
The incident took place after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accused the UN peacekeeping mission of “providing Hezbollah terrorists with human shields” and demanded its removal from southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army is carrying out a ground invasion against the Iran-backed militia.
In a video message, Netanyahu called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to “get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately.”
On Monday, Borrell harshly rebuked Netanyahu, stressing UNIFIL is under the direct command of the Security Council, not the Secretary-General’s.
“I want to remind everybody that it’s not the Secretary-General of (the) United Nations who decides about this mission staying or not staying. It’s the Security Council who has to take this kind of decisions,” Borrell told reporters.
“So stop blaming Secretary Guterres, because it is the Security Council who takes this kind of decision, not him personally.”
Borrell’s anger was echoed by foreign affairs ministers as they arrived in Luxembourg, often using the word “unacceptable” to express their displeasure.
“This is unacceptable and it should stop and it should be investigated as soon as possible,” the Netherlands’ Caspar Veldkamp said, explaining he had called his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, to express his displeasure. “This has to stop.”
Spain’s José Manuel Albares said UNIFIL’s work was “valid and necessary in this time of war” and that any violence directed against the mission was “contrary to international law” and should not be repeated.
“Lebanon is a sovereign state that takes its own decisions,” Albares said.
Ministers from Latvia, Sweden and Luxembourg were among those adding their voices to the European condemnation, in line with the statement that Borrell published on Sunday evening, which Ireland’s Micheál Martin said could have been “far stronger.”
“We believe today that Israel’s security cannot be guaranteed by the use of force alone,” France’s Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters. “The use of force must give way to the use of dialogue and negotiation, which is why, like most countries in the world, we are today calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as in Lebanon.”
Austria’s Alexander Schallenberg, whose country is among Israel’s staunchest backers in the bloc, was also highly critical, calling the attacks against UNIFIL “simply unacceptable.”
“No, they will not withdraw. Yes, they will continue to fulfill the mandate,” Schallenberg said upon arrival. “And yes, we demand on each and every party to respect this mandate and respect the security and safety of our blue helmets.”
