EU's Borrell urges Israel to accept Lebanon ceasefire 'today'

By Alvise Armellini

The European Union's foreign policy chief urged the Israeli government on Tuesday to back a proposed ceasefire deal in Lebanon which he said has all the necessary security guarantees for Israel.

Speaking at a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Italy, Josep Borrell said there was no excuse for not implementing the deal with Iran-backed Hezbollah, adding pressure should be exerted on Israel to approve it immediately.

"Let's hope that today (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu will approve the ceasefire agreement proposed by the U.S. and France. No more excuses. No more additional requests," Borrell said, criticising hard-line Israeli ministers who have spoken against the deal.

Israel looks set to approve a U.S. plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah on Tuesday, a senior Israeli official said.

Borrell, who said he discussed prospects for a deal in a recent trip to Lebanon, said one of the sticking points was whether France should be included in a committee monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire, which the U.S is due to chair.

He said the Lebanese have specifically asked for France's involvement, but the Israelis have misgivings.

"This is one of the points that are still missing," he said.

Borrell also criticised what he saw as Western double standards on the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defence chief, and a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

"You cannot applaud when the court goes against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and remain silent when the court goes against Netanyahu," he said, urging European Union member states to support the ICC.

Italy, which holds the G7 presidency, said on Monday it was trying to broker a common position for the group on the ICC decision, but progress is hard since the U.S. has said it does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court and opposes the arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

The G7 comprises the U.S., Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Canada and Japan.