Brussels, 08/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - During the evening of Wednesday 7 October, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini called on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to show leadership, saying she believed “the continuing deadly violence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank (…) poses a real risk of further escalation”.
“It is now vital” that Netanyahu and Abbas “show leadership to promote calm, encourage restraint and avoid actions which further fuel tensions”, Mogherini said in a press release. “The cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to de-escalate the situation and to restore order is crucially important”, she added.
Once again Mogherini called for the perpetrators of the recent terror attacks to be brought to justice (see EUROPE 11402 and 11407). Several Israelis were killed or wounded in the attacks that were reportedly carried out by Palestinians. “It is also imperative that security forces at all times prevent the loss of life. Israel must conduct a thorough investigation on the circumstances which have led to the death of Palestinians at the hand of Israeli security forces”, she added. Three Palestinians were reportedly wounded on Wednesday 7 October by Israeli soldiers who had infiltrated the ranks of Palestinian protesters.
The Israeli people and the Palestinian people have the right to live in security, Mogherini stated. In her view, the way to tackle the violence and unrest is for both sides to move quickly to restart a credible political process. “The immediate priority is for the parties to agree on substantial steps which improve the situation on the ground and build a path back to final status negotiations”, she said. On 30 September, the Quartet decided that its envoys should speak to the parties in order to explore concrete actions that could be undertaken to demonstrate the parties' true commitment to pursuing a two-state solution (see EUROPE 11401).
According to Mogherini, “a negotiated two-state solution is the only way to bring the lasting peace and security that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)