The foreign ministers of six European countries, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, have signed a joint letter expressing “grave concern” about Israeli plans for a prolonged occupation of parts of Gaza.
The letter has been signed by the foreign ministers of Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Spain who say they strongly reject any territorial change in the Strip.
They have written that reported plans for the military to take over large parts of the Gaza Strip for an extended time with the population of two million people being forced to move to the southern region of Rafah would mark “a dangerous new escalation and jeopardising any prospects of a viable Two-State solution”.
The joint letter represents is the first concerted response from European countries which express strong criticism and opposition to the plans unveiled by Israel over the course of last weekend.
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“A further military escalation in Gaza will only exacerbate an already catastrophic situation for the civilian Palestinian population and threaten the lives of the hostages that remain in captivity,” the ministers wrote.
“We firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza, including any scheme that would force or facilitate the permanent displacement of its population, which would be in violation of international law.
“We also strongly oppose a system that does not ensure that the entire population gets access to humanitarian aid. Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, which belongs to the Palestinian people.”
The ministers have also strongly criticised Israel for the blockade which has been in place since March 30th. They have said that despite repeated calls to lift those measures, Israel has “instead further tightened, rather than eased, the measures”.
They further have said: “Together, we call on the Israeli authorities to show restraint. We further call on Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure the unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.
“What is needed more urgently than ever is a resumption of a ceasefire, and the unconditional release of all hostages. We reaffirm our unwavering support for the two-state solution — Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security,” it has concluded.
The letter is signed by Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir of Iceland; Simon Harris; Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg; Espen Barth Eide of Norway; Tanja Fajon of Slovenia; and José Manuel Albares Bueno of Spain.
On Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin accused Israel of a war crime over blocking aid from entering Gaza.
Speaking at the Global Ireland summit in Dublin, he said it was “simply wrong, in principle, and in law, to inflict hunger and suffering on a civilian population, whatever the circumstances”.
“This behaviour clearly constitutes a war crime,” he said.
Mr Martin said it had been over 50 days since food, medicines, and other essential supplies had been allowed into the area.
