For the first time in ten years, Tel Aviv and the EU conducted high-level discussions. In order to implement a two-state solution to the issue with the Palestinian people, the bloc is eager to force Israeli leaders.
Josep Borrell, the head of EU foreign policy, said he was “encouraged” by recent backing from Lapid for such a result during the “Association Council” debate. The Israeli interim prime minister participated in the discussions via video conference.
The two parties’ latest conference of this kind occurred on July 2012. Though negotiations have reopened, little hope exists for a peaceful resolution.
The chief of the European side to the talks said “this is also what we want to push for. We want the resumption of a political process that can lead to a two-state solution and a comprehensive regional peace”. Borrell also stressed that “we have to explore how we can put this into practice.”
The West Bank has been under military occupation by Israel for over 55 years. The last genuine peace negotiations concluded in 2009, and opponents claim that prospects for a two-state solution are undermined by expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and elsewhere.
Borrell forewarned the EU that the ongoing hostilities and bloodshed on the ground were a cause for worry. He also voiced concern about the security risks and the continuing of unilateral actions like settlement expansion. “This year is the year in which there has been the highest number of Palestinian deaths since 2007, and the forced transfers continue,” Borrell added.
Two-State Solution with Israel; Far from Actuality
The whole occupied West Bank, east Jerusalem that Israel has annexed, and the Gaza Strip, which is governed by the Palestinian organization Hamas, are all areas the Palestinians want for a future potential state.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, stated at the UN General Assembly last month that Israeli occupation tactics have made us less optimistic about reaching a just and international law-based peace.
He asserted that Israel’s military was “killing the Palestinian people in broad daylight” with leniency and that the government was still engaged in a “frantic drive to take our lands.”
Lapid spoke at the UN General Assembly the day before Abbas’ statement. In his address to the UNGA, Lapid expressed his support for a two-state solution and urged Muslim countries to recognize and make reconciliation with Israel.
This is while the Palestinian groups believe that the Israeli operations, policies, and aggression is the main obstacle on the way to reach the two-state solution. During the years, Israel has expanded the settlements against its international commitments.
