Foreign affairs chief says Palestinians and Israelis have an ‘equal and legitimate right to the same land’
27 November 2023 - 15:52
byJOAN FAUS
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A Palestinian child sits among the rubble of houses destroyed in an Israeli strike during the conflict. Picture: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA
Barcelona — The four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict is an important first step but much more is needed to find a way out of the crisis, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell told a summit of Mediterranean nations on Monday, the final day of the ceasefire.
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, attending the summit, warned the death toll in Gaza would double if the war restarted now.
Borrell said he regretted that Israel had not attended the Forum for the Union of the Mediterranean in Barcelona, a grouping of European, North African and Middle Eastern countries.
Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan addressed the meeting as a representative of a group of ministers from the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.
Borrell said he hoped a four-day truce that began on Friday morning would last “a few more days”.
Al-Maliki said Qatar, Egypt, the US and EU were working to extend the truce, adding: “Extending the ceasefire means halting the killing.”
He said if the war restarted once the ceasefire ended the death toll would double because Gaza’s population was now concentrated in the south of the strip.
“We have an opportunity today that will end tonight, to extend the ceasefire ... I count on the support of my colleagues ... for us to all leave here with a loud and strong voice that can be heard in all parts of the world: no to the war, yes to the ceasefire,” he said.
The truce is the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
In response to that attack, Israel has bombarded the enclave and mounted a ground offensive in the north. About 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Hamas said it wanted to extend the truce. An Israeli official told Reuters the onus was on Hamas to produce a new list of 10 hostages it could free on Tuesday in exchange for that becoming an additional truce day.
Spain’s foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said Hamas could no longer rule Gaza after hostilities end since it does not have “an agenda for peace”, and called for restoring “political legitimacy” in Gaza.
Borrell said Israel could not be allowed to “recolonise” Gaza, saying both Palestinians and Israelis have an “equal and legitimate right to the same land”.
A Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza is the “best guarantee” for Israel’s security and peace, Borrell added. Jordan foreign minister Ayman Safadi echoed his comment, saying there cannot be a “Gaza-alone diplomatic approach”.
Al-Maliki said the Palestinian Authority, which lost control of the Strip in a 2007 power struggle with Hamas, has no need to return to Gaza, adding: “We have been there all the time, we have 60,000 public workers there”.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
EU hopes for Israel-Hamas truce extension
Foreign affairs chief says Palestinians and Israelis have an ‘equal and legitimate right to the same land’
Barcelona — The four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict is an important first step but much more is needed to find a way out of the crisis, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell told a summit of Mediterranean nations on Monday, the final day of the ceasefire.
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, attending the summit, warned the death toll in Gaza would double if the war restarted now.
Borrell said he regretted that Israel had not attended the Forum for the Union of the Mediterranean in Barcelona, a grouping of European, North African and Middle Eastern countries.
Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan addressed the meeting as a representative of a group of ministers from the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.
Borrell said he hoped a four-day truce that began on Friday morning would last “a few more days”.
Al-Maliki said Qatar, Egypt, the US and EU were working to extend the truce, adding: “Extending the ceasefire means halting the killing.”
He said if the war restarted once the ceasefire ended the death toll would double because Gaza’s population was now concentrated in the south of the strip.
“We have an opportunity today that will end tonight, to extend the ceasefire ... I count on the support of my colleagues ... for us to all leave here with a loud and strong voice that can be heard in all parts of the world: no to the war, yes to the ceasefire,” he said.
The truce is the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
In response to that attack, Israel has bombarded the enclave and mounted a ground offensive in the north. About 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Hamas said it wanted to extend the truce. An Israeli official told Reuters the onus was on Hamas to produce a new list of 10 hostages it could free on Tuesday in exchange for that becoming an additional truce day.
Spain’s foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said Hamas could no longer rule Gaza after hostilities end since it does not have “an agenda for peace”, and called for restoring “political legitimacy” in Gaza.
Borrell said Israel could not be allowed to “recolonise” Gaza, saying both Palestinians and Israelis have an “equal and legitimate right to the same land”.
A Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza is the “best guarantee” for Israel’s security and peace, Borrell added. Jordan foreign minister Ayman Safadi echoed his comment, saying there cannot be a “Gaza-alone diplomatic approach”.
Al-Maliki said the Palestinian Authority, which lost control of the Strip in a 2007 power struggle with Hamas, has no need to return to Gaza, adding: “We have been there all the time, we have 60,000 public workers there”.
Reuters
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