EU diplomacy chief urges ‘long lasting’ Gaza truce

Barcelona, Spain — AFP

The EU’s top foreign policy official Josep Borrell has called for an extension of the truce in the Gaza Strip, which is to end on Tuesday.

The four-day pause has seen tearful reunions of dozens of Palestinian prisoners as well as the return of Israeli hostages in the first relief in the seven-week war.

“The pause should be extended to make it sustainable and long lasting while working for a political solution,” he said in Barcelona, at the start of a meeting of the intergovernmental organization Union for the Mediterranean.

Borrell called for a “political solution that should allow us to break the cycle of violence once and for all”.

“Nothing can justify the indiscriminate brutality Hamas unleashed against civilians on seven of October,” he said. “But one horror cannot justify another horror.”

Israel has faced mounting pressure to extend the pause mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, though its leaders have dismissed any suggestions of a lasting halt to the offensive.

Hamas has signalled its willingness to extend the truce, with a source telling the media that the Palestinian resistance group had told mediators they were open to prolonging it by “two to four days”.

Borrell also said that he was “appalled” by reports that the Israeli government will allocate funds for the construction of new illegal settlements in the midst of an ongoing conflict.

“I’m appalled to learn that in the middle of a war, the Israeli government is poised to commit new funds to build more illegal settlements,” Borrell said on X.

“This is not self-defence and will not make Israel safer. The settlements are grave IHL (international humanitarian law) breach, and they are Israel’s greatest security liability,” he added.

Borrell added: “In the history of the most serious conflicts, there is always a moment when the darkness of the situation can only lead to a horizon of peace. I am convinced that beyond the shocks and emotions, that both peoples are committed to peace.”

Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares laid out a framework that he hoped all of the member states attending could agree upon. It includes ending the bloodshed and ensuring that the Gaza Strip is handed back to the Palestinian Authority when the hostilities end.

Many of the nations in the union also argued for the need for a two-state solution. Albares said he hopes definitive peace talks can be held “as soon as possible so the international community can back the agenda.”

Borrell said: “Because both have equal and legitimate rights to the land, they will have to share it. We need to help them agree on that. Alone, they will not be able to,” said Borrell.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, for his part, said: “By opting for peace we are not taking sides. The peace we seek must fulfill Palestinians’ right to freedom and statehood, and must address Israel’s legitimate concerns.”

Israel, one of the founding members, did not send representation.