EU's chief diplomat urges swift action on two-state solution

The EU's chief diplomat and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell has emphasized the need for immediate efforts towards a two-state solution, rather than waiting for a ceasefire, in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"If you want to build the two-state solution, do not wait for the ceasefire. Start working on it from now on," Borrell told the Council on Foreign Relations, an influential U.S. foreign policy think tank, in New York on Friday.

Borrell stated that the notion of starting to build peace after stopping the war is utopian and completely contrary to the dark reality. "We have to overlap the two processes," he noted.

He has advocated for the creation of a Palestinian state at several events on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.

At the ministerial side event on the Middle East Peace Process on Friday, Borrell said, "We have a responsibility to thousands and thousands of innocent children who were killed," warning that Israel's conduct in the Middle East is not a way to ensure security for the nation.

"These attacks against Lebanon have been creating such a great number of civilian casualties that cannot be justified by the right to defense," Borrell noted.

Israel has bombarded Lebanon since Monday morning, killing over 700 people and injuring nearly 2,200 others, according to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Borrell also pledged that the EU will continue to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

"We are the biggest supporter to UNRWA. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to provide critical resources to ensure the agency's ongoing operations, and we call on the international community to join us in this effort," Borrell said at the UNRWA Ministerial Level Meeting in New York.

"Together, we can make a tangible difference in the lives of millions of people – nothing less than that," he added.

(With input from Xinhua)