In a speech to EU ambassadors around the world on Monday 6 November, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stressed the international community’s responsibility for the current situation in the Middle East.
“The unfolding violence is an outcome of a collective political and moral failure, with Israelis and Palestinians paying a high price for it”, he stressed, stating that this moral and political failure was due to a “real lack of willingness” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian problem. For him, while the international community was committed to a two-state solution, there was no roadmap to achieve it.
Since 1967, the situation on the ground has worsened, with the expansion of the settlements, whose population has risen from 270,000 to 700,000 between the 1970s and today, according to the High Representative, and a rise in extremes on both sides.
Mr Borrell called for the resumption of talks on a two-state solution. “We, Europeans, have the moral and political obligation to be involved”, he said. In his view, this is a “major test” for the EU’s credibility.
“The important thing is to think about a comprehensive and definitive settlement which is clearly out of reach today [...], but on the modalities of a political process involving Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Arab States, the European Union, Turkey and the United States and Norway, who has been playing an essential role in the past”, said the High Representative. And he warned that: “This is the last chance of the Two-State solution, if we do not succeed, we will be definitely in a spiral of violence and mutual hate for generations. So, let’s engage on that as much as we can”.
“It will be the most important geopolitical challenge for us”, he added.
In her speech to the same ambassadors, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that “we must spare no effort to keep the hope alive, to find a lasting solution, based on two states, living side by side in peace and security”. “It is again time for an international effort towards peace in the Middle East. And we will play our part”, she promised.
For Ms von der Leyen, “millions of people all across the world feel that the Middle East is stuck in a spiral of endless conflict where violence only leads to more violence, but this does not have to be the case”. She said that, in order to restore hope to Palestinians and Israelis alike, they all needed a perspective, namely the two-state solution.
“In the end, Israelis and Palestinians, they have to agree on the way forward. But I believe, we, as part of the international effort, must also contribute. We have a role to play by putting forward some basic principles - for example, for the day after the war, that could help find common ground”, explained the President of the Commission.
In her view, the first thing to do is to ensure that Gaza is not a haven for terrorists. “Different ideas are being discussed on how this can be ensured, including an international peace force under UN mandate”, she noted, adding that this implied that the terrorist organisation Hamas can no longer be able to control Gaza and that there should only be one Palestinian Authority and one Palestinian state.
Furthermore, Ms von der Leyen added, there can be no long-term Israeli security presence in Gaza, stating that “Gaza is an essential part of any future Palestinian state”. And there can be no forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, as this would only be a “recipe for more regional instability”, she explained.
Finally, the blockade of Gaza must be lifted, because “any future Palestinian state must be viable, also from an economic point of view”. And, “Europe stands ready to work with all people and countries in this region to make this happen”, promised the President of the Commission. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)