EU’s Borrell says Israel cannot build peace ‘only by military means’

Brussels, Belgium – AFP

The EU’s foreign policy chief on Monday insisted on a two-state solution as he told Israel it couldn’t build peace “only by military means” ahead of talks with Israeli and Palestinian top diplomats.

The bloc’s 27 foreign ministers were set to hold separate meetings with their counterparts from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and key Arab states in Brussels.

Borrell repeated the condemnation from the United Nations of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “unacceptable” rejection of calls for a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza.

“What we want to do is to build a two-state solution. So let’s talk about it,” Borrell said.

He told Israel that “peace and stability cannot be built only by military means”.

“Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill off them?” Borrell said.

EU officials insist now is the time to talk about finally resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The EU’s top diplomat said he had presented ministers from the bloc with a “comprehensive approach” towards trying to find a lasting peace.

The EU has struggled for a united stance on the conflict in Gaza as staunch backers of Israel such as Germany have rejected demands for an immediate cease-fire made from the likes of Spain and Ireland.

EU officials have sketched out broad conditions for “the day after” the current war ends in Gaza, calling for no long-term Israeli occupation, an end to Hamas’s rule and a role for the Palestinian Authority in running the territory.