France, Spain, Portugal and Uruguay have decided to summon Israeli ambassadors on Wednesday to express their deep concern following reports that Israeli forces fired warning shots near European diplomats in the occupied West Bank.
Paris will summon Israel's ambassador over warning shots fired by the country's army during a visit by diplomats in the West Bank, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday.
Barrot called the shots "unacceptable" and said the envoy would be called in "to offer an explanation." One French diplomat was part of the visiting delegation, he added.
Spain is also summoning Israel's most senior representative over warning shots, its foreign minister said.
"Faced with the intolerable shooting by the Israeli army during the visit of Spanish, EU and other countries' diplomats, we are summoning the head of Israel's embassy in Madrid," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares wrote on X.
Foreign ministry sources told AFP the Israeli chargé d'affaires would be summoned. Israel recalled its ambassador to Spain after Madrid recognized a Palestinian state a year ago.
Portugal said it had also summoned the Israeli ambassador after the incident in the occupied West Bank.
The foreign ministry in Lisbon said the request was made "following this incident, which calls international law into question." A Portuguese diplomat was one of the delegation.
Uruguay also summoned the Israeli ambassador, the foreign ministry said; adding that it wanted Ambassador Michal Hershkovitz to "clarify" what Israel called "warning shots" fired during the diplomats' visit to the town of Jenin.
AFP
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