The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, began an official trip this Sunday that will take him to Egypt and Lebanon until Thursday to try to contribute to diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving an “urgent” ceasefire in Gaza and the liberation of Gaza, “to avoid a further escalation of the situation” of violence in the region.
“The visit takes place in the context of the war in Gaza, where the dire humanitarian situation and the plight of the hostages make a ceasefire increasingly urgent. This mission is part of the EU’s ongoing work in the region to prevent a further escalation of the situation,” European External Action Service (EEAS) spokesperson Peter Stano said in a statement today.
Mediation efforts by Egypt, the United States and Qatar will feature prominently on the EU foreign policy chief’s agenda in the mission, as will “the EU’s role in alleviating human suffering in the Gaza Strip,” the spokesman said. the EEAS, which Borrell heads.
The tour will provide Borrell with “an opportunity to discuss all aspects of the situation in and around Gaza and broader political issues with regional leaders, in particular the impact of the conflict on neighbouring countries and their respective contributions to peace efforts and stability.”
The tour also comes at a time of growing support within Israeli society for a truce.
Tens of thousands of people took part in new mass demonstrations in different regions of Israel on Saturday to demand that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas for the release of the hostages.
This Saturday marked eleven months since the start of the war in Gaza, whose total death toll now exceeds 40,900, mostly women and children, in the Palestinian strip, devastated by the incessant land, sea and air attacks of the Israeli army.
In addition, it is estimated that the bodies of 10,000 people are still under the rubble and scattered on the roads, places that emergency and civil protection teams cannot reach due to the intensity of the bombing.
According to the official programme provided by the EEAS, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission will travel to Cairo on Monday to hold official meetings, including with President Abdul Fatah el-Sisi.
He will also travel to the Egyptian side of Rafah to meet with representatives of UN agencies on the ground and the Emergency Relief Committee (ERC) and inaugurate an EU-funded project to help children in Gaza and those caring for them in Egypt.
On Tuesday, Borrell will meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and attend a ministerial meeting of the League of Arab States in Cairo.
Borrell will be in Lebanon on Wednesday and Thursday to meet, among others, Prime Minister Najib Mikati; the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, and the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Joseph Aoun.
He is also expected to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Migrants, Abdallah Bou Habib.
“The EU’s support for Lebanon’s resilience and stability, as well as its regional role, will be discussed with a number of national and international stakeholders, including the UN,” the EEAS spokesperson concluded.
