On Friday 17 November, the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, called on the European Union to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
“What is needed is an immediate ceasefire and the possibility of supplying food to the population”, he stressed during a press briefing with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who was visiting Ramallah, asking the EU to call for this ceasefire.
The Prime Minister recalled that, to date, more than 33,000 Palestinians have been injured in Gaza, “12,000 killed, including 5,241 children”, more than 1,560 have gone missing and more than 25,000 “housing units” have been destroyed. Palestinians have been forced to leave the north of the Strip for the south, “a south that is becoming like a concentration camp”, added Mr Shtayyeh, pointing out that there was no water, no electricity and that some people were sleeping outside as winter approaches.
“Not allowing fuel in is a crime, denying the population access to food is a crime, not connecting electricity is a crime”, stressed the Prime Minister, who also called on Israel to open crossing points and allow people to return to their homes in northern Gaza. On Friday, Israel authorised the entry of two lorries of fuel a day into Gaza to meet the needs of the UN agencies there.
The situation is “catastrophic” and “what Israel is doing is killing with the mood of revenge, killing for the sake of killing”, warned Mr Shtayyeh.
According to the High Representative, the world is witnessing a “tragedy” with what has happened in Israel and what is happening in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank. He recalled that the EU, and now the United Nations Security Council through a resolution adopted the previous day, were calling for immediate humanitarian pauses and better access for humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza. “The humanitarian needs are enormous”, said Mr Borrell, adding that the international community should be able to respond.
Although he did not speak publicly on the subject during his visit to Israel, the High Representative highlighted the ongoing violence in the West Bank. Since the beginning of the year, 421 Palestinians have been killed, including 202 since 7 October, according to Mr Borrell, who also pointed out that evictions were on the increase and that there were 150 illegal outposts, bases for future settlements. He added that he had urged the Israeli authorities to deal with the issue in order to “avoid an eruption of violence in the West Bank”. “What is happening in the West Bank is alarming”, confirmed Mr Shtayyeh.
Ending the cycle of violence
The Hamas attacks and the war in Gaza “have brought the Palestinian question out of limbo. Nobody was taking it seriously”, admitted the head of European diplomacy. According to Mr Borrell, only a political solution can put an end to the “untenable cycle of violence”, explaining that the EU was working on the best way forward and on what needs to happen to end the war and create peace.
According to Mr Borrell, we must “seize the momentum” to invest in peace and the two-state solution, which has been “neglected for too long”.
He highlighted the EU’s position for post-conflict Gaza, with the three ‘yes’ and three ‘no’ positions agreed by the EU foreign affairs ministers (see EUROPE 13291/2), which Mr Shtayyeh said he supported. While in Brussels on Monday, Mr Borrell called for Gaza to be managed by “a” Palestinian authority, in Ramallah he called for it to be managed by “the Palestinian Authority”. “You may need help, but the Palestinian Authority must return to Gaza”, he told the Prime Minister. Some in Brussels believe that for this to happen, the Palestinian Authority must undergo reforms.
Mr Shtayyeh called for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine with a timeframe, adding that the current Israeli government was making a mockery of the two states, international law and respect for agreements (see EUROPE 13140/5).
Palestinians, victims of Hamas
The day before, at a press briefing with the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, the High Representative recalled that the United Nations Security Council had called on the Israeli President to do everything possible to reduce the level of civilian suffering. He reiterated that “only peace will bring Israel total security”. “Borders are the scars that history has etched on the skin of the earth. We have to overcome this. We must make peace - not only between Israel and the Arab countries, but also between Israel and Palestine”, warned Mr Borrell. “Our common effort, our common responsibility is to try to fight so that no more lives are lost. No more human suffering”, he insisted.
He also pointed out that the EU was working to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas.
Informal Council meeting on Monday 20 November
In addition, Peter Stano, spokesman for the European External Action Service, announced on Friday 17 November that the High Representative would be briefing the European foreign affairs ministers on his tour of the Middle East (Israel, Palestine, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan) at an informal virtual ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council on the evening of Monday 20 November. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)