News from Berlin

Foreign Ministers Met to Discuss the Crisis in Gaza

July 29th, 2014
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News from Berlin – Foreign Minister Steinmeier travelled to Paris on the 26th of July to an international meeting of foreign ministers on the current crisis in Gaza. They were aiming to persuade both sides to agree on an extension of the 12 hour humanitarian cease-fire which began on Saturday.

The participants of the summit included the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Turkey and the appointed representative of the European Union. Together, they discussed the necessary steps that will lead towards a sustainable peace in the Middle East. At the end of the meeting Steinmeier emphasized that every representative present in the meeting called upon the conflicting parties to extend the ceasefire, given the current humanitarian crisis.. The ceasefire will give a chance for humanitarian supplies to reach civilians in the Gaza strip, and will look towards a long-term ceasefire. Even before the Paris meeting, the German foreign minister stated  that it should not become an open space for “blame and responsibility for a renewed escalation” in the Middle East but rather a chance for reaching consensus on the fact that “dying must end”.

An estimated 1000 people, mainly civilians, lost their lives during the past three weeks in Gaza.   

News from Berlin – Berlin Global