EU agrees to revive Rafah mission, Borrell criticizes Netanyahu

(Patria) - The European Union has in principle agreed on Monday to revive the EU civilian mission in Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip next to Egypt, but said it would need agreements from all sides to continue, said the Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, Reuters reported.

Speaking at a monthly meeting of EU foreign ministers, Borrell also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using false claims of antisemitism against the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his political goals.

The bloc is considering reviving its European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) Rafah, which has not been operational since 2007, when Hamas took full control of Gaza. The Rafah crossing is the main entry point for aid from Egypt, and it has been closed since Israeli forces took control of it from the Gaza side nearly three weeks ago.

"They have given me the green light, the political green light to reactivate EUBAM, our mission in Rafah. This could play a useful role in supporting the entry of people into Gaza, in and out," Borrell said after a meeting that also included key Arab ministers.

"But it must be done in agreement with the Palestinian Authority, the Egyptians, and obviously Israel, the Israeli authorities. We will not do it alone. We will not be the security contractors on the border. We are not a security company," he said, adding that the EU would now prepare technical plans.

Diplomats said it was unlikely the mission would be established before a cessation of hostilities in Rafah.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 45 Palestinians in a tent camp and injured dozens in Rafah on Sunday, sparking outrage from world leaders, and Borrell accused Israel of continuing its military operation in southern Gaza despite the ICJ ruling.

Speaking after ministers discussed with their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, Borrell said the two sides would look into whether they could join forces to establish a joint conference on how to implement a two-state solution.

Two international courts, both based in The Hague, have issued rulings against Israel in recent weeks. The ICC prosecutor said he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister along with Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes, while the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which hears disputes between states, ordered Israel to halt its offensive on Rafah.

Israel has condemned the ICC and called on allies to reject it. It also says the Rafah offensive does not need to be halted in line with the ICJ ruling as it does not pose an unlawful threat to civilians.

Borrell said the bloc had agreed for the first time to hold an EU-Israel Association Council meeting – a body that coordinates trade between them – to discuss the situation in Gaza, human rights compliance, and the impact of the ICJ ruling on the association agreement.

Borrell attacked Netanyahu for labeling the decision of the ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan to seek arrest warrants against him and his defense minister as evidence of "new antisemitism." Borrell described the comment as intimidation, saying that accusations of antisemitism are made every time someone "does something that Netanyahu does not like."