On Friday 24 November, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, welcomed, on behalf of the EU, the start of the “truce” between Israel and Hamas, which has led to the release of 24 hostages (13 Israelis, 10 Thais, 1 Filipino) in the Gaza Strip since the terrorist attack of 7 October.
In his view, this pause in the fighting should be “a first step” towards a longer period of calm, to enable the “horrific” humanitarian situation in Gaza to be addressed, with more than 1 million Gazans forced to leave their homes “with nowhere to go”. The High Representative recalled Israel’s obligations under international law in its response to Hamas. He also reiterated the EU’s demand for the unconditional release of all Israeli hostages.
“The security of Israel cannot be guaranteed by military means alone”, added Mr Borrell, who believes that the only path to lasting peace in the Middle East is the creation of a Palestinian State.
On Monday 27 November in Barcelona, the EU will co-chair with Jordan a ministerial meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean, which will take stock of the situation in the Middle East and attempt to establish a common approach to creating the conditions for peace. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)