IMAGE by OVOODOCORVO
Europe argues — and prays — for a measured
response from Israel
The U.K. and France are joining forces to call on
Israel to show restraint.
BY ANDREW
MCDONALD AND VICTOR GOURY-LAFFONT
https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-argue-pray-measured-response-israel-iran-attack/
LONDON —
The message from Europe following Iran’s missile attack on Israel could not be
clearer: this must not escalate further.
But whether
Tel Aviv — and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in particular — are listening
remains to be seen.
Iran
attacked Israel with a flurry of missile and drone strikes overnight Saturday,
in retaliation for Israel’s deadly attack on Iran’s Damascus consulate earlier
this month. Iran’s barrage of missiles — largely repelled by Israel, with
support from French and British fighter jets — marked a steep escalation in the
proxy conflict between the two Middle Eastern powers.
“Whoever
hurts us, we will hurt him,” Netanyahu warned in response.
But the
U.K. and France, Europe’s premier military powers, put on a united front of
diplomacy Monday as they sought to pressure Israel not to hit back at Iran with
outsized force.
“On
Saturday evening, Iran sought to plunge the Middle East into a new crisis,”
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told a packed House of Commons Monday. “If it
had succeeded, the fallout for regional security and the toll on Israeli
citizens would have been catastrophic.
“But it did
not succeed. In support of Israel’s own defensive action, the United Kingdom
joined a U.S.-led international effort, along with France and partners in the
region, which intercepted almost all of the missiles, saving lives in Israel
and its neighbors,” Sunak added.
The prime
minister told MPs he will speak to Netanyahu in the coming days — and that,
while the U.K. remains supportive of Israel, he wishes to see “calmer heads
prevail.”
“I will …
be speaking to Prime Minister Netanyahu to express our solidarity with Israel
in the face of this attack, and to discuss how we can prevent further
escalation. All sides must show restraint,” Sunak said.
European aims
Sunak’s
counterpart in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron, earlier expressed his own
concerns about escalation in the Middle East — and urged Israel to instead try
to isolate Iran, rather than retaliate.
“We are all
worried about a possible escalation,” Macron told French broadcasters. “We will
do all we can to avoid things flaring up, escalating.” The French president is
also expected to speak to Netanyahu early this week.
It’s not
yet clear whether providing military support last Saturday will give London and
Paris any increased leverage in their private conversations with Israeli
leaders. Sunak’s spokesman Monday denied this had been the intention behind
Britain’s involvement. Macron insisted France’s involvement had come at the
behest of neighboring Jordan.
Paris and
London are certainly braced for some military response from Tel Aviv. The
British government remains hopeful this will not come in the form of a direct
attack on Iran, according to U.K. government aides granted permission to speak
anonymously.
Instead,
Sky News reported, the hope among some officials is that any Israeli
retaliation will come in the form of a strike against one of Iran’s proxy
forces. The IDF has already claimed to have struck sites linked to Hezbollah in
response to the weekend attacks.
A limited
response may be less likely to provoke further reaction from Iran, which Monday
urged Western nations to “appreciate Iran’s restraint in recent months” toward
Israel.
“Instead of
making accusations against Iran, (Western) countries should blame themselves
and answer to public opinion for the measures they have taken against the … war
crimes committed by Israel” in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza, said Iranian
foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani.
According
to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu’s war cabinet is yet to reach a decision as
to how it should respond. Politicians in multiple European capitals took to the
airwaves to make clear their fear tit-for-tat attacks could escalate into a
full-blown regional war.
Sunak’s top
diplomat, the U.K. foreign secretary David Cameron, has already commenced a
diplomatic push aimed at preventing such an outcome, speaking to counterparts
in Iran, Israel, the U.S, Germany, Jordan and Turkey over the weekend. Cameron
is set to visit Israel in person this week.
‘Take the win’
Speaking to
Times Radio Monday, Cameron called on Israel to “take the win and then move on”
— apparently aping the language used by U.S. President Joe Biden.
“We’re very
anxious to avoid escalation and to say to our friends in Israel, it’s a time to
think with head as well as heart,” Cameron said. “The smart thing to do, as
well as the tough thing to do now, is actually not to escalate.”
According
to multiple stateside media reports, Biden has made clear to Netanyahu that the
U.S. will not join any Israeli counter strike on Iran.
But it is
less clear if Netanyahu is listening. The Israeli PM has already hit back at
his close ally over U.S. warnings about the high levels of civilian deaths in
Gaza.
Netanyahu
has also set a date for a military offensive in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah,
despite vocal U.S. and European opposition to the proposed assault.
It remains
to be seen if Tel Aviv will take a different approach in its response to Iran.
In the meantime, the diplomatic push from Europe will continue.
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