Israel and Palestine: Time for the EU to exercise its global strategy and political muscle

U.S. President Joe Biden may have prevented the start of an all-out Israeli war on Lebanon/Hezbollah, but it was too late to stop the pager/walkie-talkie attacks. New Israeli attacks intend to coerce Hezbollah and Iran to hit back at Israel, requiring President Biden to step in, causing Donald Trump to win and allowing Vladimir Putin’s all-out (nuclear?) attack on Ukraine. Time for the EU to exercise its global strategy and political muscle.

On Monday 16th September U.S. President Joe Biden sent an emissary, Amos Hochstein , to Israel apparently to prevent Benjamin Netanyahu’s start of an all-out war on Lebanon and Hezbollah. Part of Netanyahu’s plan allegedly was the replacement of Defence Minister Yoav Galant (closer to Washington, D.C. and against further escalation of Netanyahu’s aggression) by Gideon Sa’ar of the New Hope party (that formally targets the annexation of the West Bank and the inclusion of all Palestinians in a federal state with Jordan). According to Jamal Kanj in CounterPunch of 19th September, on 16th September 2024 Israel dropped leaflets in Southern Lebanon ordering civilians to leave their homes in view of an imminent Israeli attack. But this major attack was apparently prevented by Mr Hochstein. The attack would apparently be accompanied by the explosion of 3,000 pagers, creating chaos among Lebanese/Hezbollah leaders while under attack. Hochstein’s visit could stop the attack, but potential leaking of the planned pager attack caused Netanyahu to press that button – after all, any leaking would make all pager owners dispose of these immediately. Thousands of Hezbollah fighters, civilians and also totally innocent children – among these an 8-year-old girl – were wounded or killed.

The former Dutch Defence Minister (VVD), now UN Special Co-ordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, referred to the Israeli act as “an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context” (BBC, 18th September 2024) while legal experts considered the Israeli attack “unlawfully indiscriminate”. Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy wrote: “I firmly condemn [this] attack which has caused several casualties and a high number of injuries. … the indiscriminate method used is unacceptable due to the … heavy collateral damages among civilians … and the collapse of hospitals.”?? (EU/EEAS website, 18 September 2024). No condemnation came from U.S. President Joe Biden. ?

Connecting the dots, Prime Minister Netanyahu apparently was prohibited by President Biden to ‘now’ go for an all-out war against Hezbollah, but the leaflets warning Lebanese citizens for this could neither be ‘undropped’, nor could the pager attack followed by the walkie-talkie attack be halted. Obviously, this “unlawful indiscriminate” attack could be executed one time only; and only on Netanyahu’s – not? Biden’s – watch; and that time was 17th September 2024.

Meanwhile, Iran’s new President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, got his new ‘mix bag’ cabinet approved. The focus of a majority of appointments is at ending Iran’s isolation and re-starting negotiations with the U.S. and the EU, particularly on the (halting of) production of nuclear weapons materials. It seems that this Iranian move towards peace and calm is feared by Prime Minister Netanyahu most. A very silent threat by Washington, D.C. to stop derailing this development through more extrajudicial executions on Iran’s soil unfortunately was accompanied by a U.S. State Department statement that while Israel did not have the right to kill opponents indiscriminately, Netanyahu was allowed to go after terrorists. Hence the blowing up of an entire apartment building in Lebanon’s capital to kill one Hezbollah leader. ?

In other words, President Biden knows Netanyahu is manipulating him but does not know how to stop that. Today’s U.S. foreign and security policies are locked into disastrous domestic divisions. Netanyahu has until November 5th to find out how he can trick Iran into war with Israel without risking U.S. security support. In these last pre-electoral weeks Secretary Blinken must stretch Iranian and Arab imagination by not reacting to any of Netanyahu’s provocations until Kamala Harris is elected.

Meanwhile, the European Commission’s President-elect, Dr Ursula von der Leyen , has formed her team. She provided each candidate Member of the new European Commission with ‘mission letters’ – including to Kaja Kallas , the former Estonian Prime Minister who is to succeed Josep Borrell. A staunch defender of Freedom through Courage, Ms Kallas has been instructed by Ms von der Leyen to “take forward a comprehensive EU-Middle East Strategy…..focusing on promoting all steps needed for the two-state solution and strengthen partnerships with key regional stakeholders” (letter of 17th September 2024). Since that evidently is not the target of Netanyahu’s Government, it is up to the European Union to take steps that President Biden feels he cannot afford: to withdraw? support to the current Israeli Government – starting with weapons deliveries and halting particularly the import of any Israeli telecommunications products under the EU’s European Neighbourhood Policy. These are approaches such as Mr Borrell is pleading. And no one is more devoted to sanctions against an unhinged aggressive leader (such as Putin) than Ms von der Leyen. The Commission President asks Ms Kallas to help establish “a true European Defence Union”, while French President Emmanuel Macron , German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are already taking steps towards its realisation. So this is the moment for the European Union to show its global political muscle to anyone who wishes to note – while timely assisting a U.S. Administration in distress.