EU envoy calls for removal of siege on Gaza

The conflict between Israel and Hamas could easily flare up again, the European Union’s envoy to Israel warned Wednesday, saying that a return to the prewar conditions was unacceptable.

“We feel that if the situation goes unaddressed, there is still a very considerable potential" for conflict, Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen told reporters in the occupied al-Quds ('Jerusalem'), adding that the Egyptians are about to send out invitations for talks on a permanent ceasefire.

“We must pursue ... lifting the siege of Gaza, allowing for reconstruction of the area, and a return to some normalcy for the population there," he said, while also calling for safeguarding Israel’s security.

The ambassador however repeated the notion of disarming the Palestinian resistance groups and said the goal was dependent on disarming the groups, apparently ignoring the fact that the modification in the EU and Israeli positions has taken place under the auspices of the resistance weapons.

The ambassador also called for the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza “in order to spearhead the reconstruction.”

He said the EU remains committed to assisting with the implementation of any agreement reached by the parties, possibly by manning border crossings and overseeing the import and export of goods to and from the Gaza Strip.