The head of foreign affairs for the European Union called Monday on the United States to stop supplying arms to Israel because of reported high civilian casualties in its war with Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Josep Borrell pointed to remarks President Joe Biden said Thursday during a news conference that Israel's military response in Gaza to Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack had been "over the top." The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reportedly claims 28,176 Palestinian civilians have died since the war began following the massacre of at least 1,200 Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
"If you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people [from] being killed," Borrell said after an informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. "Isn't it logical? In 2006, during the war against Lebanon, the United States already took the decision to pause the supply of arms to Israel because Israel did not want to stop the war. Exactly the same thing that happens today. Everyone goes to Tel-Aviv, begging: 'Please, do not do that, protect civilians, do not kill so many.'"
The U.S. is the main supplier of military arms to Israel, giving it $3.8 billion annually in fighter jets, bombs, and other armaments. The Biden administration has resisted calls to cut off military aid to Israel. Also, Israel insists it takes extensive measures to protect civilians but is forced to conduct military operations in civilian areas because Hamas operates there and uses civilians as shields.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller defended the Biden administration's support for Israel in a press briefing Monday, saying it gives the U.S. the "maximum ability" to be successful in influencing the Jewish state.
"It's a process where we engage with the Israeli government, look to use every bit of expertise that we have to communicate to them the steps that we ought to take, and we use all of the levers at our disposal to influence them to the best of our ability, and that will continue to be an ongoing process," Miller said. "… We have not made the assessment [to stop military aid]. That is a step that would be more impactful than the steps that we have already taken. And at the same time, you have to look at the fact how such a step would be received by Israel's opponents, both inside Gaza and outside of the state of Israel."
Borrell also criticized Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu for calling for an evacuation of Palestinian civilians from the city of Rafah near the Egyptian border – where a reported 1.4 million Palestinians fled to following the start of Israel's military operation. Borrell questioned how such an evacuation could be done. Egypt and other Arab states have refused to take Palestinians refugees from Gaza.
"They are going to evacuate where? To the moon?" Borrell said. "Where are they going to evacuate these people? So, if the international community believes that this is a slaughter, that too many people are being killed, maybe they have to think about the provision of arms."