UPDATE - Palestinians face increased violence in 'boiling' West Bank: EU foreign policy chief

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY BORRELL, OTHER CHANGES THROUGHOUT; REVISES DECK

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – Violence against Palestinians has increased since Oct. 7, resulting in the West Bank "boiling," the EU foreign policy chief warned Sunday.

Josep Borrell said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany that a comprehensive political solution for the Palestinians, which includes "not only Gaza, but also the West Bank," is needed.

"Yes, we have to end the war in Gaza, but nobody has talked a lot about the West Bank," he said.

"And the West Bank is the real obstacle for the two-state solution. The West Bank is boiling. The level of violence against the Palestinians has been increasing since the seventh of October," he added.

"It was already very high before that, and if now the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has to stop supporting the Palestinian people in the West Bank, we could be on the eve of a greater explosion," Borrell stressed.

He urged EU members to be more united in order to play a "geopolitical role" on the issue, as they have with Ukraine.

"But here I see that there is a dispersion of approaches and many members states want to play their own game," he said.

The US should be "more than on board," added.

- 'No peace in Mideast without clear prospect for Palestinian people'

Borrell also said that "without a clear prospect for the Palestinian people, it will not be peace in the Middle East, and the security of Israel will not be ensured just by military means."

The bloc's top diplomat also mentioned his recent statement strongly calling on Israel "to avoid military actions against a highly densely populated area that is Rafah, where 1.7 million, almost 2 million people are being pushed against the wall."

About that number of Palestinians previously displaced by Israel's offensive on Gaza is holed up in Rafah, seeking refuge from hostilities that have laid waste to wide swathes of Palestinian territory.

Israel's reported plans for an offensive on the city have sounded international alarm bells, with countries urging restraint or the cancelation of the operation.

On the Israeli government’s stated aim to eradicate Hamas, Borrell said: "Hamas is an idea and you don't kill an idea. The only way to kill an idea is to propose a better one."

He suggested there must be efforts for Palestinians and Israelis to live "side by side in peace and common security."

"This will not be reached only by military means," he noted, stressing the need for "an overall political solution to the conflict."

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed some 1,200 Israelis. The ensuing Israeli attack has killed more than 28,000 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

- War in Ukraine

Borrell hailed the support EU members have provided to Ukraine over the last two years, since Russia started its war there, but said it should have come more quickly, criticizing some countries’ hesitation to supply weapons.

"We have to continue supporting Ukraine military and economically more, and quicker," he said, and highlighted the need for security commitments to Ukraine.

"The most important security commitment for Ukraine is (EU) membership … It will be a different era with Ukraine inside. … And we have to remain engaged on that commitment," Borrell said, referring to Kyiv’s bid to join the bloc.

He also called on the EU to prepare "for a long period of tensions with Russia," forecasting that Moscow would be "tempted to increase its political and military provocations against NATO countries."

"We are perfectly aware that Russia is fighting a war against us which is not only bombing with shells, is a war of narrative," he said.

- Munich Security Conference

The 60th Munich Security Conference ended on Sunday after three days of events and debates focused on the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and other international conflicts.

About 50 world leaders and 100 ministers attended the conference, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Organizers of the Munich Security Conference did not invite official representatives of Russia, Iran, or North Korea to this year’s gathering.