Speech by High Representative/Vice-president Josep Borrell at the University of Jordan: “I want to pay tribute to Jordan, to this extraordinary country at the crossroads of the civilisation. At the crossroad of the tensions of our world. I want to pay tribute to the leaders of Jordan, to the present and past leaders. Without them, Jordan would not be a pillar of stability. Without them, Jordan would not be an anchor of stability in the region.  That is why everything that we need to be done to help and support Jordan in these terrible times has to be done, from the European Union’s side. That is why it was important for me to come to Jordan on my last visit to the region in my capacity as High Representative.

Nothing illustrates more how hard this place is, how difficult the situation in Gaza has become than reminding that today is the World Children’s Day. It was established by the United Nations in 1954. At that time, for sure, nobody  could have thought that 70 years later, today, we would have seen a war where 70% of people being killed are women and children; and where the most frequent age group among the people being killed is children below nine years old.  That is the tragic reality: the most frequent age of people killed in Gaza are below nine years old. Almost 50 children have been killed every day for one entire year. This is a children’s war. That is a horrific situation. That is the reality, whether you like it or not.

We have also to fight against any discussion which is not being based on evidence. This is a University. ‘University’ is about truth. ‘University’ is about facts. ‘University’ is about discussions based on intelligence. It is not based on lies, it is not based on propaganda, it is not based on disinformation, which is invading today the minds of the people around the world.   We have the voice of the reason. We have the voice of the science. We have the voice of intelligence.

On the situation in Palestine, we have to work for a voice of peace. We have to [raise our] voice against hate messages, we have to raise our voice against the lies, against the caricatures, against the people depicting the other as an animal, not deserving to live. Against any message of hate. This is what I want to tell you today and I am sure you understand that. Because this is the temple of intelligence. This is the place where human beings can meet together in order to build peace.

We have to understand that only a Global Alliance to implement the Two-State Solution, will bring peace to this region.  We have to make everybody understand that on both sides, on the Israeli side and the Arab side, there are people who want peace. There are people who work for peace. There are people who wants peace and security for both sides. We have to defeat extremism. We have to defeat the ones who are sabotaging peace because they want supremacy above anything else. Believe me, there are people in Israel who wants peace as much as there are people in Palestine who wants peace.

We have to avoid any kind of dehumanisation in any circumstances. We have to raise our voice when atrocities are being committed, whoever commits them. One horror does not legitimise another horror. I said it many times: what happened with the terrorist attack of Hamas – which is absolutely condemnable, and we have condemned it– cannot justify another horror by an excessive use of force that can create situations that are against International Law.

The voices of reason, the voices of people who wants to end this tragedy and bring peace and security to everybody – for Israel too – have to start working very hard. Maybe you can start working very hard.

This university, as all universities around the world, is the place not only for demonstrating and expressing concerns, not only to be black and white, on one side or the other, but to look for the arguments, for the reasons, for the facts that can help us build a solution. The solution can only be political. There is not going to be a military solution to this war.

The solutions have to come through negotiations for a just peace and to share the land. That is what the Two-State solution mean. It cannot be a mantra that we repeat every day without doing much to make it happen.

Once again, I am happy to be here with you and with the University of Jordan because I think it is an occasion and an opportunity. You can do a lot; we can do a lot.

The voice of the reason has to win the voice of hate. This is the only way for making peace.  ”

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-264274