Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has launched a powerful condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of weaponizing antisemitism to silence critics and committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Speaking in a televised interview with Spain’s La Sexta channel on Tuesday, Borrell denounced Netanyahu’s pattern of branding Western leaders critical of Israeli policies as antisemitic, calling the tactic “despicable.”

“Netanyahu responds to every criticism by accusing us of antisemitism,” Borrell said. “I believe it is despicable to brand those who criticize what is happening as antisemitic.”

The former EU diplomat went further, charging Netanyahu and his government with committing genocide and pursuing the systematic destruction of the Palestinian people. “I believe there is a clear genocidal intent. The definition of genocide aligns precisely with what the Israeli Defense Minister says every day,” he noted.

Borrell also condemned the ongoing apartheid-style repression in the occupied West Bank, criticizing the violence inflicted by Israeli settlers and the broader occupation. “It is evident that there is occupation and denial in the West Bank. Palestinians are living under an apartheid regime,” he said.

His remarks come amid growing international outrage over Israel’s continued war on Gaza, which has now stretched past 600 days. Since the start of the offensive on October 7, 2023, more than 177,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed or wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities. Over 14,000 civilians remain missing under the rubble or presumed dead.

Despite mounting evidence and global condemnation, Israel continues to enjoy political and military support from key Western allies, including the United States and several European nations. Borrell’s remarks reflect a growing chorus within Europe demanding accountability and an end to the devastating campaign against the Palestinian people.

Human rights groups, international legal experts, and even state officials have increasingly described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal, citing deliberate starvation, mass targeting of civilians, and systematic destruction of infrastructure as evidence of intent to destroy the Palestinian population in whole or in part.

Calls are intensifying for sanctions, arms embargoes, and war crimes prosecutions at international courts as the world watches a historic humanitarian catastrophe unfold. (ILKHA)