Foreign Minister Tuomioja concerned about the situation in Gaza

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni visited Finland

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja met with Tzipi Livni, Foreign Minister and Vice Prime Minister of Israel, in Helsinki on 4 July. The two ministers discussed, in particular, the role of the European Union in finding a solution to the situation in the Middle East and about the current unrest in the region. During the minsters’ joint press conference Tuomioja assured that the EU demands the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli solider Gilad Shalit and an end to Kassam rocket attacks against Israel

Foreign Minister Tuomioja expressed his concern especially with regard to the plight of civilians in Gaza. Foreign Minister Livni, who arrived for her short visit in Helsinki from Moscow, said she understands the concerns expressed abroad: “Israel strives to act in a way that avoids affecting the Palestinian population. It’s not easy, because the terrorists are using the Palestinian population, they are living among the Palestinian population.” Livni emphasised that Israel has a high threshold for the use of force and reminded that Israeli cities and towns have been subjected to Kassam-rocket attacks, but last week’s abductions led to Israel’s strong reaction.

As to the destruction of bridges and other infrastructure that has evoked disapproval, Livni said that it was a way to put pressure on Hamas and to weaken the abductors’ room to manoeuvre. However, she denied collective punishment of the Palestinians.




“Hamas must come under pressure”

Foreign Minister Livni urged the international community and the European Union to continue to apply pressure on Hamas and its supporters in Syria. She said that the exchange of prisoners, for instance, is totally out of the question. “The soldier must be released unconditionally,” she said. Israel cannot negotiate on the issue, because that would give the wrong signal to terrorists, the Foreign Minister continued.

The Israeli stand is that the operation in Gaza aims only at securing the release of the abducted soldier Gilad Shalit and ending the rocket attacks against Israel. Foreign Minister Livni believes that the Hamas leadership would have the possibility to free the abducted soldier if it wished to do so. It’s a question of one organisation and that organisation is responsible for Shalit’s abduction.

Foreign Minister Livni denied that there was a link between the release of Gilad Shalit and the detainment of 64 Hamas representatives. She stated that those detained are suspected terrorists who will be brought to trial in Israel. Foreign Minister Tuomioja’s opinion differed with regard to the detainment of Palestinian Authority ministers. “Although we don’t recognise the Hamas administration, we don’t approve of arresting politicians,” he said.

Tuomioja stated that the Israeli solider must be released unconditionally, and that the destruction of civil structures in an Israeli military operation in his view doesn’t solve the security issue in the Palestinian Territories; quite the contrary. “We are concerned about the long-term effects of Israel’s actions,” Tuomioja said. He also thanked Egypt, which has tried to act as a facilitator between the two parties.

A crisis difficult to solve

The escalation of violence in the Middle East is the first international challenge of the newly begun Finnish EU Presidency. Prior to his meeting with Foreign Minister Livni, Tuomioja had been in contact with Javier Solana, High Representative of the EU for the Common Foreign And Security Policy, with Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Foreign Minister of Egypt which has acted as a facilitator in the crisis, and with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas. The European Union wants to be engaged in finding a solution to the crisis.

“The current crisis – and the whole Middle Eastern conflict in general– can be solved only through negotiations. The EU supports resolving this serious issue,” Tuomioja said. Mutual trust and good relations constitute the basis for a solution. Tuomioja pointed out that the EU strives to achieve a lasting and equitable peace in the Middle East.

 

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