EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell defended Brussels’ policy on the Gaza crisis in a meeting with ASEAN diplomats in Laos on Friday (26/7), saying the EU is a key supporter of the Palestinian Authority.
“A number of ASEAN members have strongly condemned what is happening in Gaza. As I have said many times: horror does not justify more horror. The EU is a strong supporter of the Palestinian Authority,” he said on social media.
Borrell was speaking after co-chairing the EU-ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference on the sidelines of the ASEAN Council of Foreign Ministers in the Lao capital Vientiane.
The EU’s top diplomat reiterated the 27-nation bloc’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza, unfettered humanitarian access and the release of all hostages.
“We need to work together with ASEAN countries to support a two-state political solution for lasting and sustainable peace,” he said.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack on Israel. The group breached the border, attacking civilian settlements and military bases.
Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and about 240 others kidnapped during the attack. Israel retaliated, ordering a full blockade of Gaza and beginning a ground offensive into the Palestinian enclave.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said the death toll from Israel’s attacks had surpassed 39,000, while more than 90,000 others were injured. (Ant/Z-2)
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