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Ex-EU Officials Seek New Approach To Peace Process

Former EU leaders sign on to a letter addressed to Catherine Ashton and John Kerry calling on them to take a lead in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, writes Akiva Eldar.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) and European Union foreign policy Chief Javier Solana address a news conference after their meeting in Ramallah February 28, 2009. The European Union executive will pledge 436 million euros ($552.6 million) of aid to Palestinians next month to help post-conflict recovery in Gaza and economic reform, the European Commission said on Friday. REUTERS/Fadi Arouri (WEST BANK) - RTXC6OX

Nineteen former most senior European Union leaders and officials sent an extraordinary letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and US Secretary of State John Kerry, expressing their disappointment and frustration of the failure by the US and EU to start any productive peace negotiations for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians in the last five years.

They also uttered their deep concern of the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation of the population in the Palestinian occupied territories. The signatories added that the peace process, as conceived in the Oslo agreement, "has nothing more to offer." They criticized US President Barack Obama for lack of necessary action, following his visit to Israel and Ramallah.

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