For the first time in weeks, the EU Member States have agreed on a joint declaration on the Middle East. On Tuesday 4 June, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, expressed the EU’s full support for the comprehensive roadmap presented by US President Joe Biden, which would lead to an enduring ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“The EU urges both parties to accept and fulfil the three-phase proposal”, the High Representative said in a statement, adding that the EU appreciated “the determined efforts by the US, Egypt and Qatar in facilitating negotiations to bring an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, while ensuring Israel’s security, to which the EU remains fully committed”.
Recalling that too many civilian lives have been lost, Mr Borrell said that an enduring ceasefire was “urgently” needed to guarantee the protection of civilians, the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages “whose safety and well-being is of concern” and to increase the flow of vital humanitarian relief to Gaza, given the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Mr Borrell reiterated the EU’s readiness to contribute to the relaunching of a political process in favour of a lasting peace, based on the two-state solution, and to support a coordinated international effort to rebuild Gaza. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)