EU calls on Israel to take measures to protect local population

The European Union here on Friday called for a full and prompt investigation of an arson attack on a Palestinian house near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, saying that the Israeli authorities should also take resolute measures to protect the local population.

"We call for full accountability, effective law enforcement and zero tolerance for settler violence," said a statement of a spokesperson with the European External Action Service.

A Palestinian toddler was killed and three others were critically wounded in the early hours of Friday morning after their home in a village in the northern West Bank was set ablaze allegedly by Israeli Jewish settlers.

"The cold-blooded killing of Palestinian toddler Ali Dawabsha, presumably by extremist settlers, is a tragic reminder of the dramatic situation in the region that highlights the urgent need for a political solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," said the statement.

"Acts like this terrible attack can easily lead to a spiral of violence and bring both sides further away from a negotiated solution. Restraint and calm on all sides are needed so that the already tense situation on the ground does not aggravate further," it said.

The EU also reiterated in the statement its strong opposition to Israel's settlement policy that seriously threatens the two-state solution. Endit