Brussels, 15/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Parliament (EP) President Jerzy Buzek called on Israel and the Palestinians to quickly return to the negotiating table, saying it is urgent to resolve the Middle East conflict as the Arab spring uprising unfolds. “Achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians is the most pressing challenge today. Over many decades, this conflict has been used by Arab regimes as an excuse not to implement political reforms”, he told members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, on Wednesday 15 June.
“The need for progress on the Middle East peace process is more urgent than ever. Nobody can afford the status quo”, he said, on the final day of his 12-15 June trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. “The only way forward is for Israel and the Palestinians to engage in direct negotiations that will lead to a two-state solution, living side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition.”
The EU, including the EP, supports a two-state solution to the conflict based on 1967 borders, but with mutually agreed exchanges of land, and Jerusalem as the capital of both states. During his trip, Buzek - who was born in Poland close to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi German death camp - also paid his respects to victims of the Holocaust at the Yad Vashem memorial.