Chief EU diplomat warns Israel that 'one horror doesn't justify another'

Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has warned Israel that "one horror does not justify another horror" and called for the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza.

Borrell insisted that the solution to the conflict involves preventing Hamas from operating as a military or political force again, and for Benjamin Netanyahu's government to stop "recolonizing" the Gaza strip. 

"There will be no peace or security in Israel without a Palestinian state," Borrell said at the summit of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona on Monday.

The summit closed with a "broad consensus" to achieve peace in Gaza through the "two-state solution," which implies the recognition of the state of Palestine.

In an appearance after the ministerial meeting ended, the Josep Borrell stated that what is happening in Gaza is a "moral and political failure of the international community, which has done little or nothing" for the two-state solution.

Borrell said that more humanitarian aid is needed in Gaza but admitted that the important thing is to "reach a political agreement" that leads to peace. "It doesn't make sense to give someone dinner if the next day they will die under bombs," he said.

The Union for the Mediterranean summit gathered 27 ministers from the 43 countries on both sides of the Mediterranean that make up the organization, a "record" level of participation.

The meeting, however, was marked by the absence of Israel, which canceled its participation at the last moment.

Spain's foreign minister meets Palestinian counterpart

Spain's minister of foreign affairs, José Manuel Albares, defended the two-state solution as the only way to stop the conflict.

Albares and with his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki, held a bilateral meeting during the Union for the Mediterranean event on Monday.

Speaking to the media, afterwrads the minister of the Palestinian National Authority thanked the position of Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez regarding the conflict in Gaza and assured that this is the reason why he attended the summit.

For al-Maliki, Sánchez's position is one based on "justice and peace for all," he expressed.

Albares conveyed to al-Maliki the "solidarity" of the Spanish government with the Palestinian people and said that the voice of the Palestinian Authority is "essential" to discuss the future of Gaza.