European conservatives ‘lack of empathy’ for Gaza situation: EU foreign policy chief

The EU foreign policy chief said on Tuesday that he noticed a "clear lack of empathy for what's happening in Gaza," from the conservative European People's Party.

Speaking at a Socialist Party campaign event in Madrid ahead of the EU elections, Josep Borrell criticized EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for not mentioning the situation in Palestine when she visited Spain for a People's Party campaign event last weekend.

"The word Palestine wasn't uttered, nor was Gaza. They skipped right over this subject. On the contrary, for the Socialists in Europe, this is an issue into which we are investing all the political energy that we can," said Borrell, clarifying that von der Leyen visited Spain in the role of a candidate, not as the current European Commission head.

Borrell's comments came during a conversation with Teresa Ribera, who is heading the Spanish Socialists' list for the upcoming EU elections. Borrell is also a member of the Spanish Socialist Party.

Ribera, who is currently Spain's environment and energy minister, said one of the most striking issues surrounding the situation in Palestine is Europe's lack of coherence.

"How is it possible that we are not capable of defending the importance of the rules-based international order?" she asked.

"It took decades to build this system like the UN, the UN charter, respect for human rights… and breaking principles-applying them only to some and not others-goes against our own safety," she added.

Ribera added that she sees a "genuine threat" to the rules-based order, which could cause other actors to decide to subvert international norms.

Borrell highlighted the hypocrisy of countries applauding when international courts rule against Russian President Vladimir Putin, but not when they rule against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The rules should be applied equally to everyone, or they aren't valid," he added.

On June 9, Spanish voters will cast their ballots in the EU elections.

Most polls suggest that the Spanish conservatives have a slight advantage over the Socialist Party, though the vote is certain to be split between several different parties.