Borel: Israel cannot achieve peace through military means alone

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pushed for a two-state solution, telling Israel it cannot achieve peace through military means alone, ahead of talks with senior Israeli and Palestinian diplomats, AFP reported.
The bloc's 27 foreign ministers will hold separate meetings with their counterparts from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and key Arab states in Brussels.
Borrell echoed the UN's condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's unacceptable rejection of calls for a Palestinian state after the Gaza war.
"What we want to do is to reach a solution based on the principle of two states. So let's talk about that," said the top EU diplomat.
He emphasized to Israel that peace and stability cannot be built by military means alone.
"What are the other solutions they have in mind? Make all the Palestinians move out? Kill them?" added the EU foreign policy chief.
The EU's most senior diplomat said he had presented the bloc's ministers with a "comprehensive approach" to trying to find a lasting peace.
The EU has struggled to find a common position on the Gaza conflict as staunch backers of Israel such as Germany rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire from countries such as Spain and Ireland.
EU officials outlined common terms for "the day after the end of the current war in Gaza", calling for no long-term Israeli occupation, an end to Hamas rule and for the Palestinian Authority to play a role in governing the territory.
During the attacks, the militants also took about 250 hostages, with Israel saying about 132 of them remain in Gaza.
In response, Israel has vowed to "destroy" Hamas, and its relentless air and ground offensive has killed at least 25,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. /BGNES