EU urges Israel to refrain from excessive use of force against civilians

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday urged Israel to refrain from excessive use of force against unarmed civilians while calling on all relevant parties to exercise restraint.

Addressing the UN Security Council open debate on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question," Joanne Adamson, charge d'affaires of the EU delegation to the UN, said that "the use of force taken must be proportional at all times."

"Israel should reverse its punitive measures and work with the international community to ease conditions in Gaza, including opening movement and access for all humanitarian actors," Adamson said.

The situation in the Gaza Strip "has been like a pressure cooker for some time and is on the verge of explosion," she said.

In order to prevent further escalation of violence, the EU strongly urges all relevant parties "to respect international law, de-escalate tensions, exercise restraint, and prevent incidents that could jeopardize the lives of Palestinians and Israelis," she said.

"Serious efforts must be made towards a resumption of meaningful negotiations aimed at a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders that meets Israeli and Palestinian security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, ends the occupation and resolves all final status issues in order to end the conflict," she said.

Adamson reiterated the EU's "strong opposition" to Israel's settlement policy and actions, including demolitions, confiscation, evictions and forced transfers. "Settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible."

She also criticized the "continued provocation and unacceptable violent action by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad," saying it "represents a real and concerning threat, with communities in southern Israel paying the consequences."

While noting that "the status of Jerusalem is a final status issue," Adamson said that "a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states."

The past month has witnessed "one of the largest escalations since the 2014 conflict," Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the Security Council in his briefing.