The European Union on Tuesday called on Israelis and Palestinians to put an end to the spiral of violence experienced in recent days in the occupied Palestinian territories, which has left several dead in operations by Israeli settlers and terrorist attacks in the West Bank.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, contacted the Israeli and Palestinian authorities on Sunday evening to ask them to stop “violence and terror”, to protect civilians and to take immediate measures for a de-escalation, as reported in a statement by the European External Action Service (EEAS).
“The EU is deeply concerned about the continued spiral of violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (…). All parties must take immediate action to end this deadly cycle of violence, avoid the loss of more lives, ensure accountability and bring perpetrators to justice,” said an EEAS spokesperson.
The EU has condemned the terrorist attack which killed two Israelis in the West Bank on Sunday and the attack on Monday which killed another Israeli, as well as the “outburst of settler violence” which killed a Palestinian, killed hundreds wounded and set fires to houses and shops, “causing unacceptable destruction of Palestinian property”.
In this sense, the EU welcomed the joint communiqué issued on Sunday by the Israelis and the Palestinians following a meeting in Aqaba (Jordan) in which they reaffirmed the need to engage in an escalation on ground and avoid further violence, and agreed to work towards a just and lasting peace.
The 27 called for the implementation of these commitments and appreciated the role played by Jordan, Egypt and the United States in facilitating these talks.
The attacks on Sunday and Monday came amid an escalation of violence in the region for weeks, specifically days after an Israeli military raid on the occupied territory that left eleven Palestinians dead, making it the deadliest incident in the West Bank since 2005.
The current spike in violence has led to the most violent start to the year in the region since 2000. In less than two months, 62 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, largely due to arrest operations almost daily. Palestinian towns that have been unfolding for nearly a year, often leading to armed clashes with Palestinians.
In turn, with the Israelis killed in Sunday’s attack, the death toll on the Israeli side this year rises to 13, following several deadly attacks by Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem in recent weeks.