Give Peace a Chance

With Israeli military action in the Palestinian territories escalating to a fury not seen in decades and the the United Nations Security Council issuing an unprecedented call backing Palestinian statehood while a US envoy returns to mediate in the conflict, the European Union is looking for a way to contribute to failing peace efforts.

But the severe deterioration of relations between the Israelis and Palestinians living in the occupied territories has turned such initiatives into last ditch efforts, casting doubt on the EU's ability to win results, even with the help of the US and Arab states.

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique, representing the 15-nation bloc during Spain's six-month presidency, said Wednesday that a respective declaration will be passed at the upcoming EU Summit in Barcelona on Friday and Saturday.

The focus of the initiative will be the peace plan proposed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Abdullah, Pique said.

Europarliament President Pat Cox invited Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to come to Strasbourg to take up new talks and plead to them: "for the sake of humanity, please stop your violence, please begin a dialog and give peace a chance."

Violence continues

The Israeli army pressed on with the biggest military action in the Palestinian territories in 35 years on Wednesday after entering the West Bank city of Ramallah a day earlier.

At least 40 people were killed on both sides Tuesday. It was the biggest offensive in the West Bank and Gaza since Israel captured the Palestinian territories in the 1967 Middle East war. Among the dead Wednesday were a senior officer from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's elite guard.

The bloodshed cast a long shadow on the new US peace mission, leaving little room for hope that US envoy Anthony Zinni, due to arrive in Israel on Thursday, will be able to convince Israelis and Palestinians to end the bloodshed.

Surprise UN move

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his harshest criticism of Israel to date, appealed to it to end its "illegal occupation" of Palestinian lands. Aides said it was the first time Annan had branded the occupation as illegal.

"More urgently, you must stop the bombing of civilian areas, the assassinations, the unnecessary use of lethal force, the demolition and the daily humiliation of ordinary Palestinians," Annan said.

"Such actions erode Israel's standing in the international community and further fuel the fires of hatred, despair and extremism among Palestinians."

He also called on the Palestinians to stop all acts of terror, saying they had "played their full part in the escalating cycle of violence, counterviolence and revenge".

Just a few hours after Annan’s speech, the UN Security Council approved a surprise US-drafted resolution "affirming a vision" of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel within secure and recognized borders.

The 14-0 vote, with Syria abstaining, marked the first time the 15-nation council had approved a resolution on the Middle East since October 2000. It was also the first text in recent memory touching on the troubled region to be written by Washington.