EU agrees on short Israel-Palestine statement after Hungarian veto

Agencies | Brussels

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The member states of the European Union (EU) settled on a brief three-sentence statement covering the latest flare-up in violence in the Gaza strip.

The bloc's foreign ministers failed to do so last week due to Hungarian opposition.

"We welcome the ceasefire that should bring an end to the violence," a joint EU declaration signed off by EU leaders meeting late Monday in Brussels said.

"The EU will continue to work with international partners to restart a political process. The EU reiterates its firm commitment to the two-state solution," it continued.

A ceasefire has been in place since Friday, ending 11 days of Israeli air raids and Palestinian rocket fire that left more than 240 people dead in Gaza, including 66 children or minors, and claimed 12 lives in Israel, dpa reported.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, a further 1,910 people were injured.

EU foreign ministers were unable to unanimously settle on a position when they met last because Budapest would not sign it off, EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said at the time.

Borrell instead published a statement in his own name.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban maintains a strictly loyal position to the Israeli government and personally to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.