The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has lashed out at her predecessor, Josep Borrell, claiming she’s done more to temper Israel’s conduct over the conflict in Gaza than he ever did.
“I have achieved more with Israel than my predecessor ever achieved,” Spanish newspaper El País quoted Kallas as saying. “With Borrell there was nothing at all.”
Borrell, a veteran Spanish politician who served as the EU’s top diplomat from 2019 to 2024, was among the most vocal figures on the humanitarian cost of the Israel-Hamas war during the previous Commission mandate.
After leaving the post of EU high representative for foreign affairs at the end of November last year, Borrell’s criticism became even stronger. In a speech in May this year he said that “seldom have I heard the leader of a state so clearly outline a plan that fits the legal definition of genocide”.
Borrell has also criticised the EU’s response, telling Spanish radio in May that “if Europe wanted to, it could greatly influence Israel”.
Last week, the incumbent Spanish Commissioner, Teresa Ribera, also described Israel’s military actions in Gaza as genocide.
But Kallas argued that tougher rhetoric did not help because then Israel “stops talking with the EU”.
“What is achieved with that stronger language? Will we achieve that they stop killing if we use harsher language and put on the table proposals that the Member States are not going to approve?” asked the high representative. “We feel certain frustration for not having gone further, but simply there was no consensus for it and doing so would drag down our credibility.”
Kallas said she would have liked “to go further,” describing the situation as “catastrophic”. She also pointed to a July deal with Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. In early August, a document written by the Commission and the EEAS and seen by Euractiv, found that four times fewer aid trucks were entering Gaza from Israel than the EU had requested.
Contacted by Euractiv through an assistant, Borrell declined to comment on Kallas’ remarks.
Socialist counterparts rallied to Borrell’s defence. The leader of the Socialist in the European Parliament, Iratxe García Pérez, wrote on X that Borrell was “the only voice who saved the EU’s dignity on Gaza”, while accusing Kallas of choosing silence. García also labelled the EU humanitarian deal a “phantom”.
Kallas made the comments on Wednesday morning, just before Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed the toughest steps yet to show the EU’s opprobrium over Israel’s conduct in Gaza. These included a proposal to suspend the trade elements of the EU-Israel Association Agreement – a step that would not require unanimous support from the EU’s 27 member states, but rather a qualified majority (at least 15 member states representing 65% of the EU population).
Kallas said Israel must be subjected to pressure but always “with agreements and consensus”.
“I represent the countries that are tough with Netanyahu,” Kallas told El País, “but also those that have another approach.”
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