European Union leaders on Wednesday condemned the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, stressing that ‘’Israel has the right to protect its population from this kind of attacks.’’
Welcoming on-going efforts by regional partners, and in particular the initiative launched by Egypt, to establish a cease-fire, they called on Hamas’’ to agree on such cease-fire.’’ ‘’The European Union stands ready to provide the necessary support to this end,’’ the 28 EU heads of state or government said in a statement issued after a meeting in Brussels.
In the statement they said Israel ‘’must act proportionately and ensure the protection of civilians at all times.’’
They deplored ‘’the loss of innocent lives and the high number of wounded civilians in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli military operations’’ expressed deep concern about the ‘’rapid and dramatic deterioration of the humanitarian situation.’’
They called on both sides ‘’to de-escalate the situation, to end the violence, to end the suffering of the civilian populations notably by allowing access to humanitarian assistance, and return to calm.’’
‘’The tragic events of the past days highlight the urgent need for all parties to work towards a resumption of the diplomatic process and to pursue a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,’’ the statement reads.
The EU reiterated its offer to both parties of a package of European political and economic support and of a Special Privileged Partnership with the European Union in the event of a final peace agreement.
‘’Israelis and Palestinians need to make the strategic choice of peace in order to allow their future generations to live lives freed from past conflicts and to enjoy the stability, security and prosperity which they are currently being denied’’, the EU said.
Israel on Wednesday agreed to a proposed five-hour cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed.
The army said that the unilateral cease-fire would go into effect Thursday morning.