Brussels, 17/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 16 July, the EU heads of state and government called on Hamas to agree to a ceasefire with Israel, and they hailed the efforts of the regional partners - particularly the Egyptian initiative - to set up a ceasefire.
“The EU stands ready to provide the necessary support to this end”, the EU leaders state in their conclusions. They reiterate that the EU continues to call for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1860 of January 2009, calling for the immediate implementation of a “sustainable and fully respected” ceasefire in Gaza. On 15 July, Israel accepted the ceasefire proposed by Egypt - but Hamas refused any ceasefire that did not include a full agreement on the conflict.
The European Council urged the two parties to de-escalate the situation, to end the violence, to end the suffering of the civilian populations - notably by allowing access to humanitarian assistance, and to return to calm.
The EU leaders condemned the rockets fired from Gaza into Israel and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians. “Israel has the right to protect its population from this kind of attacks. In doing so, it must act proportionately and ensure the protection of civilians at all times”, the European Council stated. It deeply regretted the loss of “innocent” lives and the high number of wounded civilians in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli military operations. The European Council is “deeply concerned about the rapid and dramatic deterioration of the humanitarian situation”, the Council conclusions state.
Since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on 8 July, over 230 Palestinians have died. One Israeli has been killed by rockets from armed organisations - which have launched over 1,200 rockets in 10 days.
According to the European leaders, “the tragic events” of the past days highlight the “urgent need for all parties to work towards a resumption of the diplomatic process and to pursue a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. The European leaders reiterated the EU's offer of a package of political and economic support, and of a special privileged partnership with the European Union should there be a final peace agreement. “Israelis and Palestinians need to make the strategic choice of peace”, the EU leaders added. The EU foreign affairs ministers will discuss the Middle East on 22 July. (CG)