The Israeli army has resumed strikes on Gaza after a short ceasefire in a conflict that has claimed over 1,000 lives, while the United Nations Security Council continues to call for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.
Speaking on Yle Radio One’s morning talk show, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said that the international community should be prepared to impose sanctions on all conflict parties through the UN Security Council, in order to solve crisis. The minister said that sanctions against Israel should also be a possibility.
”In this situation we should be ready to target both Israel and the Palestinians with certain sanctions, blockades and embargos. Hamas is a terrorist organisation that we will not deal with, but if Israel commits the kinds of excesses that we have witnessed, or has not been prepared to move forward in the peace process, there should also be consequences for this,” Tuomioja said.
The minister called on Israel and Palestinians to aim for lasting peace.
”Of course a ceasefire needs to happen immediately, but this will only last for a few years, and then we’ll be back in the same situation unless the issue itself is addressed,” he said.
U.S. holding back
Up to now, UN Security Council members have failed to reach consensus on how to resolve the crisis. Tuomioja claimed that the United States in particular has not used all of its influence to help bring an end to the conflict.
”In the UN Security Council the possibility of intervening in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians depend on the United States, which is Israel’s most important supporter, ” Tuomioja said.
The escalating crisis has raised discussion within the EU over whether it should be having a bigger influence on the conflict parties, Tuomioja noted. In addition to sanctions, he also advocated incentives for reaching a peace deal.
”The EU has said that if peace is reached, we’re ready to support a new Palestinian State and to give Israel more advantages in European markets,” Tuomioja said.