European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the “very survival” of the population in Gaza is at stake now, as he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department.
“We need to act. The very survival of the population in Gaza is at the stake today,” Borrell said.
Borrell thanked Blinken for his “personal efforts” to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza, but also pressed that routes into Gaza by land must be opened.
“We need to clear the humanitarian nexus through sea, by air, that's good. That's not enough. You cannot replace hundreds of trucks by sending parachutes. The most important thing is to open the borders by land. And continue working, or start working on a two-state solution that both of us – US and EU – endorse. The only way for lasting peace,” Borrell said.
For context: While airdrops evade the often rigorous and lengthy examinations carried out at land checkpoints, aid agencies say their drawbacks overwhelmingly outweigh their benefits. They are more expensive, have limited delivery capacity and may culminate in chaos.
The US is moving forward with a plan to establish a temporary pier off Gaza's coast for aid delivery, but the Pentagon said it will take about 60 days for it to be completed and operational.
