Department of Research, Strategic Studies and International Relations 08-10-2024

The EU foreign policy chief says the people in the region are more insecure than ever.

The Middle East is on the “verge of a complete conflagration, warned the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday, in a statement released to mark the first anniversary of the Palestinian Resistance’s Operation al-Aqsa Flood and the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7.

“One year after the terrible attack against Israel, the situation is only getting worse. The people in the region are more insecure than ever and are caught in an unending cycle of violence, hatred, and revenge,” Borrell said, failing to mention “Israel’s” decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory.

“The whole Middle East is on the verge of a complete conflagration that the international community looks unable to control.”    

His remarks come amid the threat of an imminent Israeli attack on Iran following the latter’s Operation True Promise II in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and the IRGC’s General Abbas Nilforushan.

Iran has warned the Israeli regime against responding to its retaliatory strike, underlining that any response would be met with even greater force from the Islamic Republic.

Reports on Saturday, however, indicated that the Israeli leadership has already agreed on a response.

Borrell renewed the EU’s call for an “immediate ceasefire on all fronts,” noting that it is the only way to secure the release of remaining Israeli captives.

He said that the October 7 events “have had an impact in the region, the European Union, and the entire world,” pointing out that “the past year has also seen the horrible suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and later in the West Bank too.” 

“The time for the ceasefire is now,” Borrell said, adding, “Tomorrow might be too late.”

“The October 7 anniversary only reinforces the EU efforts on the need to achieve that regional ceasefire.”

Since the start of the Israeli war, the Israeli occupation forces have killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians. In addition to the death toll, the majority of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Gaza have suffered extensive damage or been completely destroyed.

Hospitals, schools, homes, and essential public facilities have been targeted by the Israeli occupation forces, leaving countless civilians displaced and without access to basic services.