Brussels, 19/08/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 15 August, European foreign affairs ministers welcomed the ceasefire and called on all the different parties involved to respect and extend it. After several missed opportunities over the last few weeks and despite the high number of victims, a 72-hour ceasefire was introduced in the Middle East and extended on 18 August for a further 24 hours. On Tuesday 19 August, it was finally broken earlier than planned by the belligerent parties.
Ministers expressed concern about the “disastrous humanitarian situation” in the Gaza Strip and called for further efforts to be made to help channel humanitarian aid to those living in this area. Ministers emphasised that, “the situation in the Gaza Strip has been unsustainable for many years and a return to the status quo prior to the latest conflict is not an option. A durable ceasefire must lead to a fundamental improvement in the living conditions for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip through the lifting of the Gaza closure regime, and it must end the threat to Israel posed by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza as demonstrated by rocket attacks and tunnel construction. All terrorist groups in Gaza must disarm”.
EU foreign affairs ministers announced that the EU would be examining ways of promoting “effective and comprehensive action” in the following areas: movement and access, capacity building, verification and monitoring, humanitarian relief and post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation through international donor efforts including “the eventual organisation of a donors' conference”.
Ministers announced that, “The EU is ready to support a possible international mechanism endorsed by the UNSC, including through the reactivation and possible extension in scope and mandate of its EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS missions”. The EUBAM mission aims to monitor the Rafah point of entry at the border with Egypt, which has been suspended since 2007 after Hamas took total control of the Gaza Strip. The lifting of the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza is one of Hamas's demands if a sustainable ceasefire with Israel is to be introduced. Ministers also said that, “The EU will also study options for an internationally-supervised mechanism to enable full access and movement through all Gaza ports of entry”.
The EU also reiterated its commitment to working with the Israeli government and for Palestinian consensus. High Representative Catherine Ashton also called for a mandate for the Council so that it could do more in discussions with the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the countries most affected by the conflict in the Middle East.
At the beginning of August, the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy and his counterpart at the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, called for an end to hostilities and said that they were ready to actively support negotiations and measures for strengthening trust, reconstruction and efforts to promote reconciliation. (CG)