We need sustainable ceasefires, immediately, in Gaza and in Lebanon. This morning, while we were discussing in the Council, another small town in South Lebanon has been hit; about 20 people were killed. Hezbollah must stop firing rockets on Israel, which are also causing deaths and injuries among Israeli civilians.

But in Lebanon, another red line has been dangerously crossed by the Israeli army. The shelling by the Israeli Defence Forces of United Nations peacekeepers was condemned by the European Union unanimously and, today, Ministers reiterated their full support to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Nobody is asking UNIFIL to withdraw. And, by the way, everybody has to know [that] it is not the Secretary General of the United Nations [António Guterres] who has to decide if UNIFIL stays or leave. This decision belongs to the United Nations Security Council.

Ministers reiterated today their full support to UNIFIL and the full support also to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) – which is facing a potential, lethal threat from the Israeli draft legislation. We have been asking the [European] Commission to make the next tranche of European Union support to UNRWA available immediately in the coming days. So, full support to UNIFIL and full support to UNRWA, and a complete support also to the work they are doing and the funding they need. All Ministers asked the Commission to accelerate the last payment to UNRWA.

I insist on this idea: we cannot abandon Lebanon. The Lebanese people, the Lebanese political leadership have to do their part of the work, but they need a lot of support – economic, political, humanitarian and also military. Because at the end of the day, when the ceasefire comes, the Lebanese army has to have control of the border, and has to be deployed in the south of the country. The conference in Paris next week will be an important opportunity to rally the international community in this support of Lebanon.

We reiterate our call for the ceasefire and the unconditional release of the hostages and full compliance with humanitarian law, but I am afraid that the humanitarian law is below the rubbles of Gaza. 40.000 people have been killed in Gaza and I am afraid that humanitarian law is also a victim in this war.

Ministers agreed on the urgency to advance our support to the Palestinian Authority – the Commission confirmed that work is ongoing to ensure the swift disbursement of the third tranche of their emergency package. I already talked about UNRWA.

Ministers also discussed sanctions on violent extremist settlers in the West Bank and those who enable their illegal activities which undermine the Two-State Solution. You know I have been making some proposals. I urged member States to reach an agreement soon, because the discussion continues at the Working Groups.

We, as the Council, also remarked and reiterated the high value that the European Union attaches to our Strategic Partnership with Morocco. It is longstanding, wide-ranging, and deep. We have established a profound friendship and a solid and multi-faceted cooperation, which we intend to continue and to increase in the next months. We took note of the [European] Court of Justice’s [decision] of the labelling of food and vegetables from the territory of the Western Sahara. We issued a Statement about that, with the Commission and myself, as High Representative. I want to reiterate the content of this Joint Statement: “In close cooperation with Morocco, the European Union firmly intends to continue strengthening our close relations and our partnership in all areas.”