UPDATE - EU foreign policy chief says international community failed to find solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Ahmet Gencturk and Burak Bir

ATHENS/LONDON (AA) - The international community has failed to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as shown by its continuation, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said Monday.

"This dramatic crisis, with its very high cost in terms of Israeli and Palestinian human lives, shows the political and moral failure of the international community in failing to find a solution to this conflict. This tragedy should be an occasion for everyone to understand that a solution must be sought that can only be based on the construction of two states," Josep Borrell told a press conference after an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

Saying that he put forward a proposal which participants of the meeting agreed to support, he summed it up as follows: No to forced displacement of Palestinian people out of Gaza, no re-occupation of Gaza by Israel, and no to the disassociation of Gaza from the overall issue of Palestine.

Borrell said that in addition, Gaza should be governed by a Palestinian authority whose legitimacy should be recognized and defined by the UN Security Council, and Arab states should be more involved in the efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict.

The EU should also show a greater commitment both for the solution and the construction of a Palestinian state, he added.

"To contribute to this political dynamic, the day after tomorrow, I will begin a visit to Israel, Palestine, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan," Borrell said.

His remarks came amid the worsening situation in the Gaza Strip, where more than 11,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks.

In a statement on Sunday, Borrell expressed grave concern over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling for "immediate pauses in hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors."

The EU has been criticized for not calling for a cease-fire despite the dire humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave, where crucial supplies such as food, water and fuel are critically low.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 38th day, at least 11,180 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,700 women and children, and more than 28,200 others injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings including hospitals, mosques and churches have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.