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Good morning.

I am happy to see you here.

More than 90 delegates are attending the second meeting for the implementation of the Two-State Solution, which means the implementation of a state for the Palestinians. This meeting continues the one that took place in Riyadh last month. Remember that at the United Nations General Assembly [in September], we decided to launch a process called [Global Alliance] for the implementation of the Two-State Solution.

I know some people do not like the word implementation. They want to talk about the Two-State Solution, but when the moment comes to talk about implementing it, they backtrack: “Oh yes, it is not the moment”. It is the moment. It was the moment. It has to continue being the moment.  

90 delegates will be working together, in order to collect all initiatives and all capacities in order to be active. Not to let that for the declarations of the meetings at the end of the corner, but to put [already] in place a dynamic.

We know how difficult it is because today, unhappily, the Israeli society is being colonised from the inside by extremism and violent people. The colonists are not only expanding on the Israeli territory. The colonisation of the mind of the people is the most dangerous thing that Israeli society is facing because it is undermining the foundations of their democracy.

After what has happened in Gaza and what has happened in the West Bank, this is a different Israel. This is a different Israel, and we have to deal with this situation in which a Prime Minister and a former Minister of Defence, are being issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court.

So, here we are to work to take the state of Palestinians as an objective and to put a framework in order for everybody willing to work for that to make contributions. Financial contributions, political contributions, practical things.

Let's see what may happen afterwards. But I did not want to leave my job in Brussels without holding this meeting.

It is almost my last activity in Brussels. Tomorrow I will be leaving, but I want to ask to everybody that has been engaged in supporting the Two-State Solution to continue working hard on that.

Without it, there will not be peace in the Middle East, and without peace in the Middle East, the whole region will be in danger.

Not only the whole region. It is a cancer that will metastasize, affecting international relations and affecting – from [the] inside – European societies.

This is an important endeavour. For years we have been talking about [it] and doing nothing about it. Now is the time to act.

There is a light of hope. Yes, the ceasefire in Lebanon.

As you know, I was in Lebanon on the days previous to the ceasefire. Among other things, visiting the Israeli, Lebanese armed forces – and testing their capacity to deploy in the south of Lebanon in case of ceasefire.

While I was talking with General Aoun, the head of the Lebanese forces, an Israeli tank bombed a position of the Lebanese army, killing several soldiers without reason.

Just like this, by bombing. No arguments, no reason, no consequences for anyone, unless [you count] the people killed.

The Lebanese army has to be strongly supported. We will need an incredible amount of resources if we really want to deploy in the south of Lebanon.

But this is a light of hope. You can say, “yes, it is a weak solution” [but] because it is a light of hope.

At least tomorrow night, no more burned children will come into the hospitals in Beirut. I was visiting one of these hospitals for severely burned people. At least for one night, no more entrances in this hospital.

We have a time gap. Hezbollah cannot be a state inside the state. Lebanese independence has to be guaranteed from external and internal challenges.

Nobody should challenge the sovereignty of the Lebanese people; [coming] from an external enemy or an internal faction that divides the society and makes it weaker and makes it dangerous in respect to their neighbours.

So, let's celebrate this moment of hope. But I want to make a call to all members of the international society, and in particular to the members of the European Union.

We cannot undermine the International Criminal Court. It is the only way of having global justice. It is the only way to implement accountability.

If the Europeans do not support fully the International Court, without procrastination, then the International Criminal Court will not work. And today the International Criminal Court has issued another warrant for arresting the responsible of the atrocities in Myanmar - the leader of the Myanmar [Min Aung Hlaing].  

And I am sure we applaud, certainly we have to applaud all decisions of the Court. They are not political [decisions], it is a legal body formed by respected people who are the best among the profession of judges.  

Some of them have been being advised by survivors of the Shoa. Survivors of the Shoa has been among the people who were advising the International Criminal Court. So, the accusation of antisemitism is once again a failure word.  

Stop hiding behind the antisemitism. It has nothing to do with antisemitism. It is a matter of looking for justice at the global stage. And until the last minute of my mandate, I will repeat the same thing: it is on the honour of Europe to implement fully and respectfully the decision of the International Criminal Court. If it is not the case, then the future will not be very good for the justice.

Q&A

Q. Mr Borrell, what about the parameters of the Two-State Solution? Will the Palestinian state become demilitarised? And are the so-called [inaudible] conditions still relevant?  

The parameters have been decided years ago. As the Arab people say, we do not have to discuss once again what has been discussed and agreed. The parameters are not something that we have to invent. They are there, they have been agreed. So, what do we have to do to make it practical? And for that certainly we will have to overcome the resistance of the forces inside Israel qui n'en veulent pas. Permettez-moi de le dire en français. Le problème, c'est qu'il y a des forces qui n'en veulent pas, ni avec ces paramètres, ni avec aucun paramètre. Alors, comment ne pas voir que le gouvernement de Netanyahou est en train de piétiner le droit international humanitaire, qu'il est en train de violer systématiquement le droit international humanitaire ? C'est ça le problème, ce ne sont pas les paramètres. [Le problème avec] les paramètres est une obstruction claire. Ils ne cachent pas d'empêcher par tous les moyens l'existence d'un État palestinien. Et c'est à ça qu'il faut s'attacher.

 

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