EU’s Ashton resumes push for ME talks

EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton has returned to the Middle East in a last-ditch effort to resume direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Urgent progress is now needed towards a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace, and the European Union will continue to support all efforts towards that goal,” Ashton said before her arrival in the region on Wednesday.

Ashton, who is in the region on a two-day visit, is set to meet Palestinian leaders in the West Bank on Thursday.

She also held separate talks with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, opposition leader Tzipi Livni and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday.

During talks with Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister called for the “strong and effective force” to stop what he described as “smuggling weapons” into the Gaza Strip, Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported.

“If you want to see the siege lifted from Gaza, you need to take responsibility and set up a real, strong and effective force that will stop this smuggling,” a statement from Lieberman’s office quoted him as saying during the meeting.

Israel has long been accusing Hamas of arms smuggling, but Hamas repeatedly rejected the allegations and said it would continue to arm its fighters as it is the movements “legitimate right.”

Israel fought a 22-day war on the territory on December 27, 2008 to stop Hamas from fighting the regime’s occupation. The all-out war claimed over 1,400 Palestinian lives and left thousands of others displaced.