EU – Borrell

“We are on the brink of the abyss!” So gloomy is the message from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who believes that the conflict in Israel and Gaza contains the seeds of being able to develop in a way that can also affect Europe. Speaking in the European Parliament on Wednesday, Josep Borrell said: “History has taught us that the hardest decisions are made when you are at the edge of the abyss. In fact, I believe that we are doing so today. When I hear Muslim authorities speak the language of conflict and especially highlight Europe as part of the conflict, I have the feeling that a serious storm is coming and we must do something,” Borrell said. In his speech, he did not name who the “Muslim authorities” actually are.
     The EU’s foreign policy chief is also concerned that “false” descriptions of what happened when Hamas attacked Israel and when Israel responded are being shared on social media. “Let’s not talk about toddlers who have had their heads cut off. The Israeli army has found no sign of this,” Borrell said of one of the narratives that has spread since the Hamas attacks. “Hamas attacks are bad enough without exaggeration, and the EU has condemned it,” Borrell said. But the exaggerations stir emotions on both sides, and this could ultimately affect Europe, he believes. /ritzau/