Ayman Safadi, Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs (L), Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs (2L), Josep Borrell, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2R), and Nasser Kamel, Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean, attend a press conference during the regional forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), in Barcelona. AFP
The Union for the Mediterranean also urged Israel to cease unilateral measures undermining a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the Israeli war on Gaza spills over across the Middle East.
In a press conference after their meeting in Barcelona, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for a political solution to the crisis that "every day drives more people to despair and sows the seeds of hatred that will wipe out entire generations".
The forum, which gathers the EU and other countries in the Mediterranean basin, said in a joint statement that an "immediate and permanent ceasefire" in Lebanon and Gaza is a "top priority".
They also urged Israel to stop actions such as building settlements in the occupied West Bank and attacking UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
An armoured personnel carrier (APC) of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is pictured in Ain Ibel. AFP
All parties must protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law, they added.
Borrell said that Israel must show proportionality in its response and that the military escalation in Lebanon "has crossed all red lines".
He earlier condemned Israel's "unacceptable attacks" on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
Monday's gathering in Barcelona took place without Israeli representation for the second year running.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online
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