"We need a Palestinian state -- that is the ultimate goal and this is the position of all the European Union," Federica Mogherini said during a short trip to Gaza, devastated by its third conflict in six years. The world “cannot afford” another war in Gaza, she said.
Mogherini’s statement follow Sweden’s official recognition of the state of Palestine last month, becoming the first EU member in western Europe to do so. The move was criticized by Israel and described as ‘premature’ by the United States.
Mogherini's visit comes against a backdrop of surging Israeli-Palestinian tensions in occupied East Jerusalem where there have been near-daily clashes in flashpoint neighborhoods.
Hamas and Israel fought a 50-day war in July and August which resulted in the deaths of 2,140 Palestinians and more than 70 Israelis.
- Mogherini voiced hope that Gaza would avoid another major conflict.
"We cannot just sit and wait. If we sit and wait it will go on for another 40 years. We have to have action now," said Mogherini, a former Italian foreign minister who recently took over from Catherine Ashton as the top EU diplomat.
Palestinians are seeking to achieve statehood in Gaza and the occupied West Bank with East Jerusalem as the capital.
Asked whether the EU might recognize Palestine as Sweden had, Mogherini said that such a move was "not among the competences" of the 28-nation bloc.
(english.alarabiya.net With AFP)
8/11/14
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EU foreign policy chief urges immediate Gaza rebuilding ...
ReplyDeleteEuropean Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini visited the Gaza Strip on Saturday, and called for an immediate start of the reconstruction in the coastal enclave.
Mogherini arrived in the Gaza Strip through Erez crossing point on border between Israel and the enclave's northern tip, where she visited Sheja'eya neighborhood in Gaza city.
Hundreds of houses were either completely destroyed or badly damaged in Sheja'eya during the 50-day large-scale Israeli air and ground military offensive waged on the Gaza Strip, which ended on Aug. 26.
Mogherini met with the owners of the destroyed houses in the neighborhood and listened to their suffering. The residents urged her to help speed up the reconstruction of their homes before a heavy winter comes.
The top EU diplomat also visited al-Bahrain school, which is run by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) in western Gaza city, which shelters hundreds of displaced residents who had their homes destroyed.
Mogherini told a short news briefing at the UNRWA school after she entered into classrooms, which are inhabited by men, women and children, that the rebuilding process in the Gaza Strip should start as soon as possible.
She also called for an end to the Israeli blockade which has been imposed on the Gaza Strip since Hamas violently took over the enclave in the summer of 2007.........................http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/890772.shtml
9/11/14