World Jewish News

EU Foreign Ministers to discuss upsurge of violence in Israel and the West Bank

European Union Foreign Ministers are to discuss Monday the situation in Israel and in the West Bank where an upsurge in Palestinian terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank has claimed several lives and injured many others during the last two weeks.

Although the issue is not formally at the agenda of the meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is to raise it and ministers will react, a senior EU official told EJP.

In the last few days, the EU has issued several statements on the situation, insisting that the attacks against Israelis in Jerusalem and the West Bank were intended ''to undermine prospects for peace.''

Mogherini called on both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to restore calm.

‘’It is now vital that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas show leadership to promote calm, encourage restraint and avoid actions which further fuel tensions. The cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to de-escalate the situation and to restore order is crucially important,” Mogherini said in a statement, stressing that both Israelis and Palestinians have “the right to live in security.”

She also said Israel must conduct “a thorough investigation” on circumstances which led to the deaths of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli security forces.

Mogherini stressed the importance of Israel and the PA restarting peace talks.

“The way to tackle the violence and unrest is for both sides to move quickly to restart a credible political process. The immediate priority is for the parties to agree on substantial steps which improve the situation on the ground and build a path back to final status negotiations,” she said.

“Ultimately, a negotiated two-state solution is the only way to bring the lasting peace and security that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve,” she added.

The situation in Syria in light of the current developments with the Russian military intervention will be the main topic of Monday’s ministerial meeting.

The EU has insisted that Russian airstrikes in Syria, in support of Syrian President Assad’s forces, must only target terrorist groups such as Daesh and Al Nusra and not the ‘’moderate opposition’’.

The ministers will discuss the possibility of a political transition to the Assad regime and issue a statement detailing their views on how to solve the conflict in the country.

by Yossi Lempkowicz

EJP