Statement by EUHR Solana on violence in and around Gaza

"I am extremely concerned at the current violence and bloodshed in and around Gaza and, first of all, I want to express my sincere condolences to the families of the Palestinian and Israeli victims.

I call for an immediate cessation of military actions on both sides. The EU has repeatedly condemned rocket attacks against Israel. The current Israeli strikes are inflicting an unacceptable toll on Palestinian civilians and will only worsen the humanitarian crisis as well as complicate the search for a peaceful solution.

There is no military solution to the situation in Gaza. I therefore urge the parties to return to the calm as brokered by Egypt and call on everybody in the region to use their influence to encourage restraint and prevent recourse to violence.

Passages in and out of Gaza should be reopened to allow humanitarian and regular commercial flows. As we have already said, the EU is ready to resume its Monitoring Mission at Rafah."

| Arriba |

• Gaza/Middle East: Summary of Speech by President of EU General Affairs and External Relations Council Schwarzenberg  (7/1/2009)
• EU Presidency Statement - United Nations Security Council: On the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (7/1/2009)
• EU Presidency Statement on the current situation in Gaza (7/1/2009)
• EU troika mission in Israel; heading for Jordan (6/1/2009)
• EU Delegation to the Middle East Led by the Czech Presidency  (5/1/2009)
• EU Troika delegation at the first stop of its Middle-Eastern trip in Egypt (5/1/2009)
• Gaza: EU Commission launches €3m emergency funding decision for humanitarian aid (4/1/2009)
• EUHR Solana congratulates new head of EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories Kernaghan (30/12/2008)
• EU Statement on the Situation in the Middle East (30/12/2008)
• Quartet Statement, New York (15/12/2008)