EU Calls on Israelis, Palestinian to Implement Recommendations of Quartet Report
Brussels, 26 Ramadan 1437/02 July 2016 (MINA) – EU High Representative Federica Mogherini Friday warned that both Palestinians and Israeli are losing hope in the peace process in Palestine and warned of a new escalation.
“We need to shake life back into the peace process, and do it as a matter of urgency. Violence is on the rise every single day, with victims on both sides. We risk a new escalation, and the very chance of peace is slipping away,” she was quoted by KUNA as saying in a statement on the occasion of the release of the Middle East Quartet Report.
“Too many Israelis and Palestinians are losing hope. This is why the European Union has invested so much in the Quartet for the Middle East, working together with the United States, Russia and the United Nations. And this is why we have worked on the Report we present today,” said Mogherini.
She called on the parties to work to de-escalate tensions and strengthen security cooperation.
“The Israeli policy of settlement construction and expansion has to come to an end. The Palestinians have to combat terrorism and refrain from all incitement to violence,” she said.
The EU foreign policy chief said both sides have to move towards a two-State solution on the ground.
“Only the two sides can take responsibility for peace. The international community cannot substitute for the parties. Only direct negotiations can lead to peace. But we need the political leaders to show their commitment, and implement the recommendations of the Report in full,” she stressed.
She also noted that regional players have a key role to play adding that “the Arab Peace Initiative offers a vision for a comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
Meanwhile, the Quartet report reiterates that a negotiated two-state outcome is the only way to achieve an enduring peace that meets Israeli security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, ends the occupation that began in 1967, and resolves all permanent status issues. (T/R07/R01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
