EU message for a two-state solution in Palestine

Borrell, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, met with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammed Shtiyye, in Ramallah after yesterday’s visit to Israel as part of his tour of the Middle East and held a joint press conference.

Recalling that they condemned the Hamas attack on October 7 and stating that Israel should exercise its right to self-defense in a proportionate manner and within international law, Borrell reiterated the EU’s call for a break in conflicts so that humanitarian aid can reach Gaza.

“The war against Hamas in Gaza is the result of the political and moral failure of the international community.” Borrell said, emphasizing that Palestinians and Israelis paid the price for this failure on the Palestine-Israel issue.

Borrell affirmed that only a political solution can end the violence in the region, and that this is a two-state solution, and said: “These dramatic events (in Gaza) at least lifted the question of Palestine out of uncertainty. “No one was taking this problem seriously.” he said.

THREE “NO” AND THREE “YES” FROM THE EU

Explaining the EU’s position with three “yes” and three “no”, Borrell said they said “no” to the forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, to Israel’s occupation of Gaza and to the region being a safe haven for Hamas, and the Separation of Gaza from the general Palestinian question.

Borrell stated that they said “yes” to the Palestinian administration under the Prime Minister’s Office that controls Gaza, to the strong participation of Arab countries in the issue and to the participation of the EU in the political process of establishing the Palestinian State.

Josep Borrell: “We have some experience in building the State in Europe.” he said.

“WE MUST RECOVER THE CURRENT MOMENTUM”

Noting that the situation in the West Bank should not be ignored, Borrell said: “Everyone should see that there has been a serious increase in settler terrorism since October 7.” He said the following:

“This war showed us that we cannot leave the Palestinian question unresolved. We must take advantage of the current momentum to invest in peace and work towards a solution. We must mobilize international support for the political process towards a two-state solution. This process has been neglected for too long. The only sustainable path to peace is the two-state solution. It is time to determine the concrete measures that must be taken to implement it. We have been repeating this for 30 years without doing what is necessary since the Oslo agreements. This is the message I will give from Ramallah.”

LATEST SITUATION IN GAZA

While Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, launched a comprehensive attack on the morning of October 7, claiming to “respond to Israel’s continued violations against the Palestinians and their sacred values, especially the Masjid al-Aqsa”, the Israeli army also launched intense airstrikes against the Gaza Strip. The bombing began.

It was announced that 1,200 Israelis, including more than 310 soldiers, were killed and 5,132 people were injured in the October 7 attacks in Israel. According to the Israeli army, 372 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, 51 of them in clashes in Gaza and 6 on the Lebanese border. According to Israel, the Qassam Brigades are holding 239 Israeli prisoners.

According to the Gaza government, 11,500 people, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women, have been killed in the Gaza Strip in Israeli attacks since October 7. 200 Palestinians have lost their lives in attacks by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem since October 7.

The Israeli army attacked the campuses or main buildings of dozens of Gaza hospitals, where tens of thousands of wounded and civilians took refuge, to force their evacuation. Some hospitals were raided during the occupation. Hundreds of people were killed and injured in the attacks.

76 Hezbollah members and 6 Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the border since October 8. (AA)