Following the recent upsurge in violence between Israel and Palestine, MEPs stress the need for an immediate ceasefire to avoid further civilian casualties.

In a plenary debate with Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva on Tuesday afternoon, MEPs expressed their extreme concern over the renewed escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine and called for an immediate end to the fighting.

They also underlined the need for dialogue and for negotiations on a two-state solution to resume, and condemned recent waves of anti-Semitism in Europe triggered by the renewed conflict.