Josep Borrell is turning into Mister Angry now that his term as European Union’s foreign policy chief is almost over. In one recent comment, he argued that it is “high time” to end the “illegal occupation” of the West Bank and Gaza.
Borrell has nothing to lose by being blunt and accurate. There is zero prospect of a swift reconciliation between him and the Israeli government, which has baselessly smeared Borrell as an anti-Semite. And if anyone complains about how he calls the occupation “illegal,” Borrell can point to a ruling issued by the International Court of Justice in July.
Yet it will take more than a few strident comments to compensate for how Borrell advocated stronger relations with Israel during most of his five-year term.
He enjoyed some success in that respect. In 2022, the EU-Israel Association Council – a high-level forum of dialogue – was revived after it had been mothballed for a decade. ….more