European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called on Israel to agree to a proposed ceasefire deal in Lebanon. He said in a speech on Tuesday (November 26) that the agreement guarantees all the necessary security for Israel. British news agency Reuters reported this.
Speaking at a meeting of foreign ministers at the G7 summit in Italy, he said there was no excuse for implementing the deal with Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. He also commented that pressure should be applied on Israel to ratify the agreement immediately.
An organization of seven industrialized countries is the Group of Seven or G7. The countries included are USA, Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Canada and Japan.
Borrell also said, “I hope Netanyahu will approve the cease-fire agreement proposed by the United States and France today.” No more excuses or additional demands should be raised.
In the speech, he criticized some hard-line Israeli ministers who took a stand against the agreement.
Earlier, a senior Israeli official said Tel Aviv was preparing to approve a US proposal for a cease-fire with Hezbollah on Tuesday.
Borrell said he discussed the agreement during a recent visit to Lebanon. Whether to include France in a monitoring committee to implement the treaty is an important issue under discussion.
He said the Lebanese specifically wanted France to participate. But Israel has objections. The matter is still not resolved.
Netanyahu criticized the Western world's two-pronged approach to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant against his former defense minister and a Hamas leader for crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
He said it was inappropriate to remain silent on the verdict against Netanyahu while welcoming the court's verdict against Putin.
He urged the European Union countries to come forward in support of the ICC.
Italy said on Monday that it is trying to maintain a common position on the ICC decision. But progress has been complicated by the United States' refusal to accept the ICC's jurisdiction and opposition to Netanyahu's arrest warrant.
