The division over Israel’s justification of attacks on Iran last Friday was set to surface among Brussels ambassadors on Thursday, stopping the EU from attempts to find a common response to the crisis, according to sources said by Euronows.
“That’s definitely a question being debated. What is the degree to which this right to self-defense is acceptable,” one source said.
The EU issued a statement on Saturday that “in all aspects it could lead to serious consequences, including the potential release of radioactive radioactive radioactive in order to comply with international law, show restraint and refrain from taking further measures.”
According to sources close to the debate, the “main” part of deliberations between member states was whether the EU should state that “Israel has the right to protect itself” in the context of its attack on Iran.
Approximately 15 member states, including Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary and Italy, wanted to add a line, but there was no unanimous agreement.
Several other countries felt there was no sufficient evidence that Israel had the right to launch an attack on Iran under international law.
Under international law and the UN Charter, states can exercise their right to self-defense in the case of armed or impending attacks. The actions required must also be proportional.
There is no consensus on attacks justified through defence rights
Israel says that the series of strikes is a preemptive move to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The issue is scheduled to be discussed by the Brussels ambassador on Thursday, and is the agenda item for next week’s EU heads of state and government summit. The draft conclusion of the summit seen by Euronows currently does not contain any language regarding the EU Council’s position on the Israeli-Iran conflict.
Meanwhile, EU sources told Euronows he was “shocked” by the tweet from the committee chair, which announced his implicit support for Israel’s attack on Tehran.
The message from Ursula von der Leyen went further than the agreed statement of the Council of Europe. This is the EU’s arm with the authority to implement foreign policy.
Ursula von der Leyen tweeted, “I spoke with President Herzog about the escalating situation in the Middle East. I have repeated the rights of Israel to protect itself and protect its people.”
“There was no consensus on saying that Israel had the right to protect itself, but von der Leyen said that anyway,” another diplomatic source told Euronows.
“She saw the agreed language and then made her own statement,” they said.
“To be honest, I was disappointed,” the diplomat said.
“These countries like Iran are as bad as simply not submitting when they are attacked like this. And even if Iran has a change of government, it would be very bad to come next,” the source said.
“The Israeli-critical member states thought the Israeli attack was irresponsible for the attack on Iran, but a large group is riding on von der Leyen’s statement,” another diplomat said.
“I would say that’s a question for legal scholars. There’s no judgment yet,” the diplomat responded when asked that the government believed the war with Iran was within the provisions of international law.
Former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Mohammad El Baradei, in a post in X, claimed that Israel’s “questions do not constitute an imminent threat,” was illegal under international law.
“The president has made her position clear. Her position has already been clearly taken by the G7 leader’s statement on regional development,” a spokesman for von der Leyen said when asked about the difference between the official EU statement and the committee president.
“She also communicated on social media that underscores the fact that Israel has the right to protect itself and that Iran is the main source of tensions in the region,” said Stephen de Kiersmucker on Wednesday.
The EU sees Iran as the major instability impact on the European continent through Russian military support.
According to the Ukrainian military, Iran has been supplying Shahed drones to Russia since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy director Kaja Karas has since repeated his official EU position for the diplomatic resolution of the Israeli-Iran war.
And once again, he called on all aspects to “comply with international law and eliminate the situation.”
She tweeted on Wednesday that “Israel has the right to defend itself in line with international law.”
