Meloni reminds Netanyahu that the UNIFIL mission acts on “the mandate of the Security Council to contribute to regional stability”, reads a note from Palazzo Chigi, and renews “Italy’s commitment, saying it is convinced that through the full application of the UN resolution 1701 can contribute to the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border and guarantee the return home of all displaced people”. But shortly before the prime minister’s phone call with her Israeli counterpart, two tanks from the Tel Aviv army broke through the gate of the Unifil post in Ramiya. Fifteen soldiers are injured. “We have asked the IDF for explanations for these shocking violations”, say the spokespersons of the mission, “yesterday the Israeli army soldiers blocked a crucial UNIFIL logistics movement near Ramiya. Meiss el-Jabal, denying him passage.” However, this infuriated the Italian Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto. Today’s incident with 2 Israeli tanks that forcibly entered a Unifil position “constitutes an unacceptable act towards the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, whose mandate is aimed exclusively at maintaining stability and security in the area” . Thus Crosetto, who adds: “following this serious violation, I asked the Chief of Defense Staff, General Luciano Portolano, to get in touch with his counterpart. General Portolano promptly spoke with the Chief of Staff of the Forces of Israeli Defense, General Herzi Halevi, reiterating the need to avoid further hostile actions. My counterpart, Gallant, assured me.”
The situation seems truly out of control. Netanyahu’s attack against the UN and the European Union, the military attacks of his army against the peacekeepers are something unprecedented in history. “The time has come to remove UNIFIL from Hezbollah’s strongholds and combat areas”, warns Netanyahu in the statement recorded and broadcast late this morning. “The DF has asked for it repeatedly, and has been repeatedly refused , all aimed at providing a human shield for Hezbollah. Your refusal to evacuate the soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah,” he continues, addressing Guterres. “This puts their lives and those of our soldiers in danger. We regret the injury suffered by the Unifil soldiers, we do everything to prevent these incidents.”
On the other hand, the EU struggles to respond, while the US effectively panders to Israel.
There are no reactions from European capitals, except Rome. Even less so from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who in these days of tension, after the first attacks by the Israeli army on Unifil, has stayed away from criticism of Netanyahu, who also finds defenders in the sovereignist right of Viktor Orbán, aligned with Israel ‘no ifs or buts’. But it is Germany above all that does not look favorably on the declaration of “condemnation” around which Borrell wants to bring together the 27. The High Representative has been trying for three days, without managing to go beyond the approval of Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, the European countries that contribute most to the Unifil mission, the most furious with Israel. Only late this evening does the green light arrive from all 27, just in time so as not to arrive at tomorrow’s Foreign Affairs Council without a common ground for reaction.
Joe Biden’s silence is even more deafening than Scholz’s. After timidly expressing “concern” about the attacks against Unifil, the White House is preparing to send an advanced anti-missile system to Israel with US soldiers attached to put it into action, according to revelations in the Wall Street Journal. A move that confirms Washington’s commitment alongside Tel Aviv and above all reveals what is behind Netanyahu’s very harsh tones: the ‘no ifs or buts’ support of the USA.
“The UN as an assembly, as a world community has weakened a lot,” says Romano Prodi interviewed on ‘In half an hour’ on Rai3, convinced that “Netanyahu has exceeded the limit by going against the whole world”. “Power – continues the former prime minister – has passed totally to the Security Council. This is where US politics comes in: on the one hand it is verbally harsh against Netanyahu, but then it provides weapons and votes in favor when there are confrontations in the Assembly and in the Security Council. So Netanyahu feels protected by a higher authority than the UN.” Namely the United States, in fact.
“Israel will make every effort to prevent UNIFIL casualties but will do what is necessary to win the war”, is the maximum that the Israeli prime minister concedes, on the eve of a Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union which clearly promises to be tense. The Italian minister Antonio Tajani will not be there, Italy will be represented by the permanent representative to the EU Vincenzo Celeste. But judging by the load of tension that has arrived today to further entangle a skein that risks exploding not only the Middle East but also the relations between the countries aligned with the USA and Israel, there are many factors that lead one to think that the The issue will be passed to the highest level of leaders who meet in Brussels next Thursday and Friday for the usual October summit.
