European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that there is no way for Israel to have a “veto” on the establishment of a state for the Palestinians.
Borrell said during a press conference in Brussels: “One thing needs to be made clear: Israel cannot have a veto over the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.”
At the conclusion of a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, he added, “The United Nations has repeatedly recognized the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. No one can revoke that.”
Borrell made his statements after talks held by European Union foreign ministers on Monday with their Israeli counterpart, Yisrael Katz, during which they stressed the need for Israel to accept the two-state solution to put an end to the war and bring stability to the region.
Israel rejects this solution, which was confirmed last Thursday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers.
For his part, Katz said that Israel is currently focusing on returning detainees in Gaza and ensuring its security.
The European ministers then met with their Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki, who later called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and urged the bloc to consider imposing sanctions on Netanyahu for “preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Two days ago, Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his support for Borrell, who is also a Spanish socialist. “We are very proud” that Borrell raised “the voice and banner of human rights in Gaza and throughout the Middle East,” he said.
Last Friday evening at the University of Valladolid, which awarded him an honorary doctorate, Borrell said: “We believe that the two-state solution must be imposed from the outside in order to bring peace,” accusing the Israeli Prime Minister of “rejecting this solution.”