Josep Borrell is the foreign policy chief of the European Union. He is also a man consumed with antipathy, even hatred, for the Jewish state. When the daring rescue of four Israeli hostages was announced, decent people everywhere rejoiced. Not Josep Borrell. He first issued a pro-forma statement, two sentences long, welcoming news of the rescued hostages, and then, almost immediately after, he accused the IDF of a “massacre of Gazans” and called the hostage rescue operation carried out by Israeli security forces on Saturday morning “appalling.” More on Borrell’s response can be found here: “EU’s Josep Borrell: Israel’s rescue mission ‘another massacre of Gazans,'” Jerusalem Post, June 8, 2024:
European Union High Representative Josep Borrell called the hostage rescue operation carried out by Israeli security forces on Saturday morning “appalling” in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The operation, carried out jointly by the IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police’s National Counterterrorism unit Yamam, successfully rescued four hostages: Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan, and Andrey Kozlov. According to Palestinian officials, over 200 Palestinians were killed during the IDF operation.
Borrell referred to the operation as “another massacre of civilians,” noting that the EU “condemns this in the strongest terms.”
The EU representative further called on Israel to “end this bloodbath immediately” before calling for the Israeli-proposed ceasefire and hostage release plan introduced by US President Joe Biden to be implemented as the “way forward for an enduring ceasefire and to end the killing.”
At the time Borrell spoke, he apparently was unaware that the terror group Hamas had already rejected the plan that Biden had misleadingly described as “Israel’s initiative,” for Israel had not agreed to adhere to a ceasefire for as long as Hamas conducted negotiations. Hamas refused to accept the plan unless Israel agreed to pulling all of its troops out of Gaza before crushing Hamas, and this is something no Israeli government would do.
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the operation took place in the heart of a residential neighborhood in Nuseirat where Hamas had kept the hostages in two separate apartment blocks.
“We know about under 100 (Palestinian) casualties. I don’t know how many [of] them are terrorists,” he said in a briefing with journalists.
During the raid the IDF inflicted “under 100 casualties,” according to IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari. Presumably the hostages were well-guarded. And in the two apartment blocks where the four hostages were held — the three male hostages in one apartment, Noa Argamani in another — how many Hamas operatives would have been living in or near them, believing that they would be safe because they assumed that the IDF would not attack for fear of harming the hostages? We know, for example, that Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, has deliberately surrounded himself with Israeli hostages in one of the tunnels, as a way of ensuring he won’t be attacked. Many dozens, and perhaps almost all, of those “under 100 casualties” may have been Hamas members. Who is to say what is the “right” number of casualties when you are engaged in a mission to rescue four captives? Should Borrell be the judge? What number would he be willing to accept?
For most of us, this was a daring and splendid rescue, for which “under 100” enemy dead is perfectly acceptable, especially since we have reason to believe that most, if not all, of those casualties were Hamas men, some dozen or two guarding the hostages, and other dozens living near them, in the expectation that these human shields would protect them from attack by the IDF.
Josep Borell says he is “appalled” at the “bloodbath” and what he calls a “massacre of Gazans.” And I am “appalled” — aren’t you? — at his latest display of antisemitic malice. When will the EU rid itself of this man?
somehistory says
If the gazans had wanted to protect their lives, they would have long ago released the hostages….all of them. In fact, if they gave a tooti for the lives of kids and other innocents, they would never have taken people hostage in the first instance.
This ghoul would feel sympathy for a gang of ordinary kidnappers taking some rich guy for ransom if the LE found them and made them pay for their crimes. What’s worse is what he is claiming now against Israel.
They have been trying to get back their hostages for months…even to releasing terrorists from prison in exchange. Now that they have been successful in a part of their endeavor, they get blamed…again…for the guilty dying.
The mother of the young woman finally rescued from the ghouls, has stage four cancer. How about some sympathy for her and her daughter for the ordeal they have both endured? An ordeal that hamas and the ‘gazans’ caused.
Ray Jarman says
Perfectly stated Somehistory. As the IDF pointed out, most of the so-called civilians were certainly Hamas soldiers all I can say is good riddance and they can hello to their Allah as they are searching for their 72 virgins. I am so happy that at least four hostages are now free.
somehistory says
Thank you, Ray.
So many are condemning Israel as if they just went in the dead of night, parachute glided in, kidnapped and raped a lot of little babies and kids and tortured a thousand and…instead of taking kidnap victims from the ghouls who kidnapped them
Ray Jarman says
So right and I have tears of happiness as does my wife.
Wellington says
The zeal with which so many are so ready to blame Israel is demonstrative of just how skewered so many are. Again can be seen that “going after the Jews” is invariably evidence of mankind not at its best but at its worst. And it is a given that when the detritus of mankind first attacks the Jews, it’s only a matter of time before so many others will be attacked for one bogus reason or another. The Jews are indeed the canary in a very dark coal mine.
somehistory says
“Father of hostage Almog Meir Jan died hours before son’s rescue: ‘He died of grief’”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/father-of-hostage-almog-meir-jan-died-hours-before-son-s-rescue-he-died-of-grief/ar-BB1nTiWy?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=68a969a4c26848d2a9e3487385fed46f&ei=7
somehistory says
This poor man is another of the victims of hamas. But he won’t be counted as such by the main stream, and esp not by the likes of al jazeera who would likely gloat about the death.
And the EU fool who is blaming Israel won’t mention it.
tim gallagher says
This was a great achievement for the Israelis and it was great to see the hostages reunited with their families and the rejoicing by the other Israelis. As for the gazans, those supporters of hamas, I don’t give a damn about them. It is a shame this maggot, Borrell, isn’t a hostage being held by the scum of the earth from hamas. He’d no doubt be singing a different tune then and would be praying to be rescued. He’s just another evil piece of shit that supports hamas and the gazan Muslim barbarians. Their mentality, the non-Muslim ones, is something I don’t understand at all. Total degenerates all of the people who support hamas and their cause after the atrocities they carried out back in early October.
carpediadem says
Their mentality is that the entire EU colluded with the islamic nations in the 1970s and protect their real allies – Islamic, moneyed terrorists.
And they have and always will hate Jews.
tim gallagher says
No doubt you are right, carpediadem. To me, I look at these young student demonstrators and others who support hamas after what the scum from hamas did back in early October and it honestly does surprise me. For any person to actually support the sadistic, subhuman vermin from hamas, to me,marks them as incredibly evil. Of course, since I learnt a bit about islam’s evil nature, 20 plus years ago, I have such a loathing for it, despite meeting the occasional pleasant Muslim, and also such a loathing for the left wing fascist scum who seem to be allies of the Muslim enemy, so I am extremely intolerant of the entire pro-islam mob. To me, there has been this trendy sort of pro-Palestinian and therefore hatred for Israel that has festered for a long while now and it has really become insane since the hamas invasion. I just wish that most people in all our societies would wake up to islam and stop letting Muslims invade our non-Muslim societies and would treat islam and its followers as the barbaric shit that it is.
DokDeam says
Old saying, “When muslims are minority, it is all about minority rights; when muslims are majority, there are no minority rights.”
tim gallagher says
Spot on, DokDeam. It is basic islam, the hate- filled pile of shit that it is, that any non-Muslims are treated appallingly in any country where the Muslims have gained power. In our western countries we treat islam and its followers with a level of respect that it doesn’t deserve.
Brian Squire says
If you have a craving for fake news, falsified death tolls, twisted facts, reports of “atrocities”, and a general sense of being told nothing but untruths, read about Israel- Hamas wars.
Who controls the news coming from these battlefields? Do you really think you’re going to get the truth?
40 rounds says
That guy, and all Hamas sympathizers can go ef themselves, literally
Namer says
Borrell is mentally ill and should be removed from every public office.
James Lincoln says
I have yet to hear a clear definition of “Gazans”:
How are they different from Hamas?
Are the so-called Palestinians who support Hamas “Gazans”?
Are the so-called “civilian” muslims who do not support Hamas “Gazans”?
Are Palestinian women “Gazans”?
Or, are the only “Gazans” children?
40 rounds says
Exactly right, like comparing Democrats and progressives. What’s the difference?
Ray Graf says
Hatred seems to have no bounds
What would he say about saving private Ryan?
Spiro says
Another spinless know it all
I would love to see him go to Gaza and Demand Hamas cease fire
Go to Russia demand a cease fire
Get out of your plush office
Better yet go tell the victims of Oct 7
it’s their fault oh go tell them come on you can do it
StacyGirl says
As a Christian, it pains me to witness innocents anywhere caught in the machinery of war. Civilians are always the first casualties. The Paleos would throw themselves and their children in a wood chipper for Hamas, and Israel would be blamed. Throw in a dose of anti Semitism and media malpractice and here we are. The Paleos danced in the streets on 9/11 and when the Fogel family was butchered. Their children suffer for the sins of their parents, and those sins are grave.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
How about seizing him, & trading him for any remaining hostages?
somehistory says
“UN Rapporteur Albanese criticizes hostage rescue, shares conspiracy theories”
“UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese criticized Israeli security forces for its successful hostage rescue operation on Saturday.
Albanese wrote on social media on Saturday that while she was relieved that Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir, and Noa Argamani had been “released,” the rescue “should not have come at the expense of at least 200 Palestinians, including children, killed and over 400 injured by Israel and allegedly foreign soldiers, while perfidiously hiding in an aid truck.”
“Albanese appeared to reference rumors spread by Palestinian and anti-Israel sources that US special forces had aided in the operation.
“Israel has used hostages to legitimize killing, injuring, maiming, starving and traumatizing Palestinians in Gaza,” asserted Albanese. “And while intensifying violence against Palestinians in the rest of the occupied territory and Israel.””
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/un-rapporteur-albanese-criticizes-hostage-rescue-shares-conspiracy-theories/ar-BB1nUtFA?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=e63f28da91b64f64b88861e0122b816d&ei=63
Goofy says
Jungle Josep lost his moral compass of he ever had one!
Hamas committed war crimes and crimes against humanity on 7 October 2023 and has persisted in doing so by illegally keeping hostages, and torturing them!
Jungle Josep, what kind of legal protection does that merit?
Didn’t the Allied forces murder millions of German civilians, including the citizens of Dresden? Is it not an expression of the idea that the population bears responsibility for the acts of its government?
Jungle Josep, you support the US proxy war on Russia sacrificing a whole generation of Ukrainians to feed war profiteers! What kind of legal logis apply here?
Why does this man speak on behalf of Europe? He has no democratic backing.
Noah Andeark says
I was greatly saddened that they didn’t kill a minimum of 1,300 of the terrorists.
Next time.
OLD GUY says
Too bad he wasn’t there to defend the Hamas soldiers fighting to hold these people prisoners just because they lived in Israel.
But no not his type, a mouth pice for the European Union, what ever that is now and represents WHO or what group of elites.
somehistory says
Surprising….some honesty from a news person…two of them…
“Morning Joe Regular Goes Off on Media for ‘Demeaning’ Coverage of Israeli Hostage Rescue: ‘These Are Hamas Ambassadors’”
“Morning Joe regular Donny Deutsch teed off on the media’s ” demeaning” coverage of an Israeli hostage rescue mission on Saturday, calling into question whether those killed during it were really civilians in a Monday morning appearance on the program.
“On the other side, conflicting numbers on casualties and hostages hidden in neighborhoods,” mused host Mika Brzezinski. “Well, who are these people who are holding these hostages? And who is Hamas? And is there any difference? Questions on all sides.”
“That’s the last question, I’d love to start with an answer,” replied Deutsch. “And, you know, we hear these headlines that, you know, four hostages rescued and 270 Palestinian civilians killed. And we need to start to look at that word civilians — and obviously war is ugly — but when in the case of this instance, when the hostages are being held by a Palestinian journalist, ‘a civilian,’ and a Palestinian doctor, ‘a civilian,’ these are not civilians, these are Hamas ambassadors.”
He continued:
Yes, there are innocent civilians. But I think back to also the hundreds and thousands of rabid Gazans as they drove, as they dragged a corpse through Gaza, cheering, hysterical with glee and joy. And it’s just once again, the media coverage is — and these were four hostages that were taken on a day to 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered, maimed, decapitated, killed in the most gruesome way — and I don’t know if Americans have four hostages that were taken and we had a rescue mission, and yes, there were 270 casualties, and many of those Palestinian casualties are deep, deep, deep sympathizers of of Hamas. Would the coverage be the same way? Would anybody be criticizing the rescue mission, or would it be truly one of heroism? But I do think we have to start to really be talk honestly, honestly about the definition of civilian casualties. And this is against the backdrop of even having said that, we’re the lowest civilian to combatant casualty in the history of war. But I just, when I saw those headlines and it was demeaning to the rescue mission, and obviously there were some real innocent people. But civilian? We got a really deep delve into that word.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/morning-joe-regular-goes-off-on-media-for-demeaning-coverage-of-israeli-hostage-rescue-these-are-hamas-ambassadors/ar-BB1nXcy9?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=1209d83d0c2642239d7dfd1a76034497&ei=37