The spokeswoman of the European External Action Service condemned on Sunday 3 November the rocket attacks in recent days by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza on southern Israel. In retaliation, the Hebrew state struck several Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, killing at least one person and injuring two others.
“The firing of rockets against civilian populations is unacceptable and must stop immediately and unconditionally”, the spokeswoman said in a statement. According to her, the “priority should be to work on immediate de-escalation to protect civilian lives”.
In her statement, the spokeswoman said that only a political solution could put an end to the violence.
The solution the EU wants is a two-state solution. But this is increasingly endangered by Israel's continued settlement policy in the West Bank. On Monday 4 November, the EEAS spokesperson denounced the approval in October by the Israeli authorities of the construction of more than 2,300 housing units.
She therefore recalled, in a statement, the EU's position that “all settlement activity is illegal under international law and it erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace. [...] The EU calls on Israel to end all settlement activity, in line with its obligations as an occupying power”, she added.
According to Peace Now, Israel has moved ahead with plans for more than 8,300 settlement housing units this year, a 50% increase over 2018.
The EEAS spokesperson also denounced the approval of a building permit for a new road bypassing Bethlehem, arguing that “the gradual construction of a separate road network, linking settlements and outposts to each other and to the Israeli road network while bypassing Palestinian cities and communities, reinforced the fragmentation of the West Bank”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)