EU High Representative Josep Borrell published a statement on 21 May welcoming the announced ceasefire bringing to an end the violence in and around Gaza.
He insisted that “only a political solution will bring sustainable peace and end once for all the Palestinian-Israeli conflict”, and stated that “the EU is ready to fully support Israeli and Palestinian authorities in these efforts”.
In his blog, Josep Borrell wrote that the EU actually need to solve the underlying conflict. “It is precisely the absence of any progress towards the two-state solution, which the international community has long supported, that ultimately created the latest upsurge in violence”, he stated.
“The crisis demonstrates that the status quo is not sustainable and that there is no alternative to a negotiated peace, accepted by all parties. [..]It is true that we have said all this many times before. Indeed, this conflict has for decades defied international efforts at peace making. So we have to prove the sceptics wrong and engage in a very concrete way to help bring about this negotiated solution.[..] That is why I will do all I can to try to re-open the space for negotiations and develop confidence building measures”, he concluded.
Read more
Israel/Palestine: Statement by the High Representative Josep Borrell on the ceasefire
HR/VP Blog : Israel/Palestine after the ceasefire: what should Europe do?