High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell held a series of high-level discussions regarding the situation in Israel and Palestine on October 30th and 31st. He spoke with critical partners in the region, including the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia (Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud), Jordan (Ayman Safadi), and Egypt (Sameh Shukry), as well as the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) (Hissein Brahim Taha).
During these discussions, HR/VP Borrell emphasised the need for humanitarian access and humanitarian pauses in order to provide vital supplies to those in need and prevent regional spillover. He also stressed the importance of protecting all civilians under International Humanitarian Law. Additionally, he informed his interlocutors about the European Council’s recent call for Hamas to release all hostages immediately and without preconditions.
Borrell expressed his concern over the attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians, which he strongly condemned. He discussed with his counterparts from Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia the importance of restoring political stability and relaunching the peace process to achieve a sustainable and permanent conflict settlement based on the two-state solution. Such a solution would prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. In his conversation with the Secretary-General of the OIC, HR/VP Borrell has emphasised the need to promote mutual respect and religious tolerance, condemning the recent incidents of Quran burning and attacks on Jewish establishments. He urged all parties to avoid further alienation and polarisation.
In a phone conversation held yesterday, the High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP) expressed his concerns to Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He highlighted the lack of access to essential goods for hundreds of thousands of civilians and emphasised the need to increase international support for the population. The HR/VP also paid tribute to all UN staff risking their lives in conflict areas and expressed his condolences for the UNRWA staff killed while on duty. The EU has tripled its humanitarian assistance to Gaza to €75 million and provided an additional €10 million to UNRWA to enable the organization to continue its invaluable work. The EU will remain actively engaged with all its partners to reach a just and lasting peace between Israel, Palestine, and the region.
