After Traveling Around The Middle East, EU Diplomat: The Best Security Guarantee For Israel Is The Establishment Of A Palestinian State

Josep Borrell's meeting with EU foreign ministers discussed the crisis in Gaza. (Twitter/@JosepBorrrellF)

JAKARTA - The establishment of a Palestinian state is the best way to guarantee Israel's security, said European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Head Josep Borrell on Monday.

After touring the Middle East to discuss Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza last week, Borrell held a virtual meeting with foreign ministers from 27 EU countries.

Borrell said he had drawn “fundamental political conclusions” from his discussions across the region.

"I think the best guarantee for Israel's security is the establishment of a Palestinian state," he said in a summary of the results of the meeting, reported by The National News, November 21.

Borrell further stressed that Israel should not occupy Gaza after the current conflict ends. And, control of the territory must be handed over to the Palestinian Authority.

"Despite the great challenges, we must advance our reflections on the stabilization of Gaza and a future Palestinian state," he explained.

In the short term, Borrell said after visiting a number of Arab countries, there was a "sense of urgency" over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"The UN Security Council resolution calling for a temporary suspension of humanitarian activities is a major step forward, but we must ensure its implementation quickly," explained Borrell.

At the same time, Borrel warned, another big concern is the possibility that the conflict will further worsen the situation in the West Bank, involving other actors in the Middle East.

"Given the increase in extremist and settler violence against Palestinians, there is a real risk that the situation could escalate," he explained.

"Reports of a ship being hijacked by the Houthis are another worrying signal regarding the risk of regional spread," he stressed.

Debriefed EU ministers about my high-level exchanges in Israel, Palestine, Bahrain, Qatar & Jordan

2 main takeaways:

1) absolute urgency, particularly due to the dramatic humanitarian crisis in Gaza & need to release hostages

2) shared objective to work towards a lasting peace pic.twitter.com/yfFt3hFdgP

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 20, 2023