EU's Josep Borrell calls on member states to implement ICC arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders

The foreign policy chief, whose term ends this month, is on a tour of the region to advocate for end to war in Gaza

Jordan's King Abdullah II, accompanied by Crown Prince Al Hussein (R), meeting with Josep Borrell in Amman, Jordan on Wednesday. EPA

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The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for member states to carry out the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, cautioning that neither side can achieve “total victory” in the Gaza war.

"The decision of the court has to be respected and implemented," Mr Borell said during a press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman on Thursday.

"All states parties of the court, which includes all members of the EU, are bound to implement this court decision," he said.

Mr Safadi also called for the implementation of the warrants issued against the Israeli officials but did not address the warrant for Deif, who Israel claims to have killed.

Mr Borrell’s comments come amid widespread criticism on the continent of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, which has strained ties with many European countries without leading to any substantial break.

The ICC announced the arrest warrants earlier on Thursday, saying Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant were suspected of crimes against humanity. The grounds for Deif's warrant were classified as secret to "protect witnesses and safeguard the conduct of investigations", the court said.

Mr Borrell will be replaced by former Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas when his term ends this month. But he is using his final appearances in the region to make a moral case for peace. He will address Israeli and Palestinian civil figures In Cyprus on Saturday before travelling to Lebanon.

In a speech at Jordan University late on Wednesday, Mr Borrell appealed to both sides to stop “dehumanising” each other and seek peace based on “equal dignity”.

“There is a narrative trying to present the problem as a fight between the West and the East or against the South, or against the Muslim world. This is a caricature that has to be deconstructed and rejected. We have to avoid any kind of clashes based on religion, civilisation or ethnicity,” he said.

The war started on October 7 last year when a surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups supported by Iran killed about 1,200 civilians. Palestinian health officials in Gaza say that 44,000 people have been killed in the subsequent invasion of Gaza.

“Do not listen to the ones who claim for total victory. The victory is never total. Let’s talk about inclusion,” he said. “Any message of hate,” whether from “an Israeli minister as much as if it comes from the voice of an extremist from any field” must be rejected.

He recalled his own's father's experience as a participant in the 1936 to 1939 Spanish Civil war. At least half a million people were killed in the conflict, which was followed by the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.

“Do not play games of war,” Mr Borrell quoted his father as telling him. “He knew by his own experience how awful war could be.”

As a young university graduate in the late 1960s, Mr Borrell worked as a volunteer in a Kibbutz “not because I was supporting Zionism, but because the Kibbutz represented for the young people … in Europe, the ideal of socialism. The ideal of living together, and sharing everything.”

But he repeated criticism he has incessantly levelled against Israel's war conduct in Gaza as disproportionate, unjustifiable and contravening international law.

“There is a limit to the right of defence, and the level of destruction that we are witnessing in Gaza is not justified with the right to defence,” Mr Borrell said, calling for respect of UN principles that “push back against any kind of dehumanisation”.