EU strongly condemns Israel's military operations in Gaza

In response to Israel's expanded military operations in the Gaza Strip, the European Union (EU) along with more than a dozen European countries have made public statements in recent days, exerting pressure on Israel with increasingly strong rhetoric.

Analysts believe that while these actions are aimed at easing public opinion pressure, they also reflect an attempt by Europe to demonstrate an independent diplomatic stance.

The EU issued a statement on Wednesday strongly criticizing Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip. It condemned Israel's excessive use of force and described the resulting civilian casualties as "intolerable." The EU also warned that the continued targeting of civilian infrastructure is "unacceptable."

Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, on Wednesday said that the death toll among Palestinian civilians had reached "shocking" levels and urged Israel to immediately end to the bombing.

In addition, more than a dozen European countries -- including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Ireland -- have issued statements in recent days, calling on Israel to cease its military strikes on the Gaza Strip and lift the blockade.

As for what actions Europe may take, analysts believe that given the scale of EU-Israel trade and their interdependence, any suspension or downgrade of trade cooperation by the EU would exert significant pressure on Israel.

Such a move could undermine Israel's economic resilience, thereby affecting its ability to sustain long-term military operations in the Gaza Strip.

In addition, European countries also hope to promote the peace process by increasing support for Palestine. In April this year, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France and Saudi Arabia plan to co-host a United Nations conference in June aimed at advancing the implementation of the two-state solution. France may recognize the State of Palestine at that time.

EU strongly condemns Israel's military operations in Gaza

EU strongly condemns Israel's military operations in Gaza

EU strongly condemns Israel's military operations in Gaza

EU strongly condemns Israel's military operations in Gaza

The United States cannot legitimize an operation that attacked Venezuela and captured its president, a Chinese scholar said Sunday.

On Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were 'captured and flown out of Venezuela' according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the aim of this operation is to take full control of Venezuela’s natural resources.

"I don't think the United States can legitimize this operation to take custody of the president of Venezuela. And also I don't think the United States can legitimize its any action in taking the oil reserves of that country. This is actually a very dangerous game played by the Trump administration. And of course, the United States would like to take full control of that country and to take full control of the natural resources, especially the large reserve of oil in Venezuela," said Teng.

Teng said Venezuela is not an isolated case but a common practice by the United States. The United States launched an invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, which continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.

"We still remember the so-called sentence of the former president of Panama in the late 1980s. And this time, the president of Venezuela will be under some judicial condition (judicial proceedings) for the so-called drug trafficking and some other crimes. So I think this is not a single case for the Venezuela country, but also this is actually a practice by the United States -- to use force, to use so-called justice under law against any leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean waters," he said.

US cannot legitimize operation against Venezuela: Chinese scholar