Israel must give reverence to UN court – EU Foreign Chief

The leader of the European Union’s foreign policy has said on Sunday that Israel needs to follow the decisions of the United Nations’ top court and stop its attack in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. They also asked if the authorities in the West Bank are involved in violence against Palestinians.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa got attention from two EU nations and Norway, who promised to recognize a Palestinian state. Josep Borrell urged Israel to stop withholding tax money meant for the Palestinian authorities.

At the end of the week, many people asked for Israel to change how it fights against Hamas in Gaza. The international community is putting pressure on Israel through court and diplomacy.

Borrell said that Israel has pushed the Palestinians to the edge of a disaster because the situation in Gaza is really bad. The West Bank is in danger and could explode at any moment.

While many people are focused on Gaza, we should also pay attention to what is happening in the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority is located.

We are seeing a lot more violence happening in a cycle. Extremist settlers are attacking aid going to Gaza without any care, and it’s hurting a lot of people. And they have a lot of weapons. “And the question is, who is giving them weapons. And who is not stopping this attack from happening,” Borrel asked.

Rights groups and Palestinians say Israeli forces protect armed settlers who attack Palestinian towns and nomadic communities.

Borrell said that the violence from the settlers is happening at the same time as Israel is building more settlements and taking more land.

Borrell also disagreed with Israel’s threats to cut off money to the Palestinians. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would stop giving money to the Palestinian Authority from taxes. This could make it hard for them to pay their employees.

In the 1990s, Israel collected taxes for the Palestinians, and then used the money to put pressure on the Palestinian Authority. After the attack by Hamas on Oct 7 that started the war in Gaza, Smotrich stopped sending money. But Israel decided to send the money to Norway, and Norway then sent it to the PA. Smotrich said on Wednesday that he was stopping that agreement.

Borrell said that money that has been unfairly kept should be given back. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide was beside him when he said this.

Eide was in Brussels to give important papers to Mustafa before Norway formally recognizes Palestine as a state. This action has made Israel very angry, even though it does not have much impact.

Norway, Spain and Ireland will officially recognize a Palestinian state on Tuesday. These countries have been friendly with both Israelis and Palestinians and have supported the idea of a Palestinian state for a long time.

The three nations’ decision to support Palestinian officials is good news for them. They have been trying for many years to create their own country in east Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. These areas were taken over by Israel in the Mideast war in 1967 and they still control them.

“Recognition is really important to us. “It’s the most important thing anyone can do for the Palestinian people,” Mustafa said. “This is really good for us. ”

Around 140 countries, which is more than two-thirds of the United Nations, acknowledge that there is a Palestinian state. However, most of the 27 EU nations still do not recognize it. Some people have said they will know it when the time is good.

The EU, the United States, and Britain, and others support the idea of a separate country for Palestinians next to Israel. They believe it should happen as part of a peaceful agreement.

Belgium, who is in charge of the EU right now, said that the Israeli hostages held by Hamas should be released first and the fighting in Gaza should stop. Other governments support a new plan for two separate states, even though talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down 15 years ago.

On Sunday, Israel was told by the United Nations to stop fighting in Gaza. This put more pressure on Israel, which is already feeling isolated.

A few days ago, the boss lawyer for the International Criminal Court asked to arrest Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hamas officials.

The fighting in Gaza began when Hamas fighters crossed the border and attacked, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 people as hostages. Israel’s recent attack has led to the deaths of over 35,000 Palestinians, says Gaza’s Health Ministry. It has also created a major crisis and a severe food shortage.