A Middle East peace plan, calling for a ceasefire and increased international intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was rejected outright by Israel. The plan was drawn up by Spain, France, and Italy and was already welcomed in principle by senior Palestinian negotiators. An Israeli official said the plan was not taken seriously because it was not coordinated with the EU or Israel.

The Spanish prime minister said, “We cannot remain impassive in the face of the horror that continues to unfold before our eyes. Violence has reached a level of deterioration that requires determined, urgent action by the international community.” He continued, “Peace between Israel and the Palestinians means to a large extent peace on the international scene.”

Israel has long opposed international intervention, especially since it has committed countless human rights violations and its occupation of Palestine is illegal. “Israel believes that it is right to conduct direct negotiations with all sides of the conflict,” Amira Oron, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, said.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish PM who proposed this rejected plan, said a new plan would be presented to an EU summit in December. This time he hopes it will be backed by Germany and the UK. An immediate ceasefire and the formation of a Palestinian unity government would be the two main conditions in the proposal. Three other components be an exchange of prisoners, talks between Israel’s prime minister and the Palestinian Authority president, and an international mission in Gaza to monitor a ceasefire. This recent dismissal of a peace proposal comes after a military offensive in occupied Gaza left over 80 people dead, the majority of whom were innocent civilians.

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