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Revealed: Borrell's peace roadmap for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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Revealed: Borrell's peace roadmap for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Euronews had early access to the 10-point roadmap that Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, has prepared to pave the way for a “credible, comprehensive solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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The document, which has not yet been made public and is set to be discussed by the bloc’s foreign ministers during a meeting on Monday, outlines a series of procedural steps that Borrell believes could eventually bring peace to the Gaza Strip, establish an independent Palestinian state, normalise relations between Israel and the Arab world, and guarantee long-term security in the region.

Its centrepiece is a “Preparatory Peace Conference” involving “key actors” such as the EU, the US, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Arab League and the United Nations. The participants would be in constant touch with Israeli and Palestinian officials, referred to as “the conflict parties,” but the two would not initially “be compelled to sit with each other.”

The Gaza Strip and the West Bank would be represented by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), rather than Hamas, which has ruled the strip since its 2007 takeover and is designated a terrorist organisation by the EU and the US.

The Conference would have one year to design the framework for a peace plan, taking into account the feedback from all involved parties, UN resolutions, European Council conclusions and previous mediation efforts. Once ready, the plan would be presented to the “conflict parties” and be used as the main basis for the final negotiations.

“In view of the current situation and despite the evident difficulties and uncertainties, the time to prepare for (a) comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace is now,” the paper, as seen by Euronews, says in its introduction.

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The revelation comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a blistering rejection of the two-state solution and vowed to continue the military offensive in Gaza until the destruction of Hamas and the release of all hostages.

“We will not settle for anything short of an absolute victory,” Netanyahu said. 

Netanyahu’s remarks cast a shadow over Borrell’s proposal and the upcoming meeting of EU foreign ministers, where the Israel-Hamas war will be top of the agenda. Despite repeated pleas from Western allies, Israel has not made any overture that indicates it is ready to cease hostilities and give diplomacy a serious chance.

The offensive, launched in reaction to the 7 October attacks by Hamas, has killed more than 24,000 Palestinians, including over 10,000 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The war has also caused widespread devastation and a severe humanitarian crisis in the densely-populated enclave.

“At this point in time, Israeli officials don’t talk about the two-state solution. They only talk about the war. They only talk about the military objective of destroying Hamas,” a senior EU official said on Friday, reflecting the thinking in Brussels.

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“We have to deal with that. It’s our responsibility, our duty, to look beyond that.”

Borrell’s scheme attempts to put that duty on paper.

Although the roadmap does not pre-judge the substance of a potential peace plan, it does provide a coherent timeline to organise a potential peace process. Its goal is not just ending the present war but addressing root causes that have fuelled the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the past seven decades.

However, it is far from certain that the 27 member states will embrace the blueprint, as capitals remain divided over how to tackle, or even speak about, the conflict.

Roadmap for peace

In the document seen by Euronews, the 10 points are envisioned as such:

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  1. The process should lead to an independent Palestinian State “living side by side” with Israel and “full normalization” of relations between Israel and the Arab world.
  2. International actors should help the two parties prepare the groundwork for peace and help build a “revitalized political alternative” to Hamas.
  3. International actors should “at the earliest” hold a Preparatory Peace Conference to settle the ongoing war and, especially, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
  4. The Conference should bring together foreign ministers and directors of international organisations to discuss the peace process while they “near-simultaneously” hold separate meetings with the conflict parties.
  5. The Conference should set up working groups and design the “initial framework” for a peace plan within one year.
  6. The plan should touch upon “as practically as possible” the central elements for a comprehensive peace, building upon previous UN resolutions and mediation efforts.
  7. The plan should provide “robust security assurances” for Israel and the future Palestinian state, “conditional upon full mutual diplomatic recognition and integration of both Israel and Palestinian in the region.”
  8. The Conference should consult the conflict parties “at every step and at any time” while the peace plan is being crafted. Crucially, if either side decides to pull out, the work should continue nevertheless.
  9. Once ready, the plan should be presented to Israelis and Palestinians. “It will be for them to negotiate the final text,” the document says.
  10. In parallel to the process, the participants in the Conference should strive to mitigate the ongoing humanitarian crisis, secure the release of Israeli hostages, prevent regional escalation, strengthen the Palestinian Authority’s democratic legitimacy and support the reconstruction of Gaza, among other goals.

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Trump vows Iran will not charge Strait of Hormuz tolls, but says US might

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Trump vows Iran will not charge Strait of Hormuz tolls, but says US might

United States President Donald Trump has pledged there will be no tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, unless they are collected by his own country.

Trump’s statement, made in a Saturday afternoon post on Truth Social, is the latest sign that a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) may be unravelling.

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“There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired,” Trump wrote, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America.”

Since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, Iran has successfully used the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure point, closing the strategic waterway to traffic.

But under the terms of Wednesday’s ceasefire memorandum, the strait is supposed to reopen for an interim period of 60 days. During that time, Iran is barred from charging vessels for passage.

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On Saturday, however, Iran’s joint military command said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing a “clear breach” of the memorandum’s commitments.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), the agency that oversees military operations in the region, denied that report and maintained that the traffic continues to flow through the waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz has long been a flashpoint in the conflict between the US and Iran. Nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas is transported through the strait, as well as about 30 percent of the global fertiliser trade.

Closure of the strait has caused global fuel costs to soar and has tested agricultural sectors across the world.

Trump had responded to Iran’s chokehold over the strait by imposing a US naval blockade on Iran’s ports in the region.

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But that naval blockade was lifted under the terms of Wednesday’s memorandum. The deal also paused fighting on all fronts in the regional conflict, including in Lebanon.

The memorandum, though, was not intended as a long-term deal. It serves as a launching point for negotiations on key issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Several points of divergence also went unaddressed in the memorandum. Nowhere does the memo say that future tolls cannot be collected from the strait after the 60-day period expires.

Before the war, there was no charge for passage through the strait. Trump himself said in an interview with The New York Times that the waterway should remain “permanently toll-free”.

But he appeared to reverse course in Saturday’s post, once again floating the possibility that the US could extract tolls in the strait, while barring Iran from doing so.

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No fees should be levied, Trump wrote, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed”.

He explained that such a charge would compensate the US “for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs”.

Trump used similar language in his New York Times interview earlier this week, floating the US becoming “the guardian of the Middle East” in exchange for 20 percent of its revenue.

Saturday’s post is not the first time Trump has mused about the US imposing tolls in the strait, either.

In April, for instance, he discussed the idea with reporters, saying, “What about us charging tolls? I’d rather do that than let them have them. Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner. We won.”

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There has been no indication that Trump’s plans have been officially presented to countries in the region, many of whom have struck a careful balance in their dealings with both the US and Iran during the war.

Iranian officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly said they will not rule out imposing tolls in the strait, framing the issue as a matter of sovereignty and regional negotiation. The strait sits between Iran and Oman.

Further discussions are expected on the matter in the coming weeks.

But such negotiations have been thrown into jeopardy amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which threaten to violate Wednesday’s ceasefire memorandum.

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Iran claimed that Saturday’s closure of the strait was a result of new Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, which killed dozens of people after the ceasefire was announced.

Iranian officials have also said that any upcoming talks should focus on proper implementation of the initial memorandum, and that the 60-day negotiating period stipulated in Wednesday’s deal would begin after that was settled.

Pakistan, a top mediator between the US and Iran, has said that follow-up talks are set to begin in Switzerland on Sunday.

Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that an Iranian delegation, led by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has already arrived for the negotiations.

On the US side, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance are expected to attend.

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Vance departed for Switzerland late Saturday.

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Video: Moscow Tanker Blast Most Likely Russian Missile, Video Shows

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Video: Moscow Tanker Blast Most Likely Russian Missile, Video Shows

new video loaded: Moscow Tanker Blast Most Likely Russian Missile, Video Shows

A dramatic explosion that caused the lid of an oil tanker to fly into the sky during a Ukrainian aerial assault on Moscow was most likely caused by a Russian air defense missile, verified video shows.

By James McManagan, Paul Sonne, Malachy Browne and Jackeline Luna

June 19, 2026

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Man charged with attempted murder, released after allegedly forcing toddler into crocodile enclosure at zoo

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Man charged with attempted murder, released after allegedly forcing toddler into crocodile enclosure at zoo

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A man was released from custody on Friday after he was charged with attempted murder for allegedly forcing a 3-year-old boy into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo.

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Cambridgeshire police said that the man, who remains unidentified, wasn’t fit to be interviewed.

The boy suffered critical injuries in the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in Huntingdon, England, north of London.

The 30-year-old man will remain on bail until Sept. 30, pending further inquiries.

GEORGIA MOM’S WALMART TRIP DEVOLVES INTO ‘TUG-OF-WARRING’ IN DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO SAVE HER SON

A crocodile rests inside an enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire, Britain, on April 14, 2026. (Dorota Dee Trajdos/Reuters)

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“The man, who is not known to the victim, was ​assessed as ​not being ⁠fit for interview,” police said in a statement.

The boy is in stable condition, after reportedly suffering a broken arm and pelvis.

He was saved from the crocodile by Tracey Johnson, the wife of the zoo’s owner.

MOTHER JUMPS INTO WATER TO SAVE 4-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WHO FELL BETWEEN CRUISE SHIP AND DOCK

 “I know Tracey very well and she’s a lovely lady and it’s nothing more than I’d expect from her,” a local told BBC News. “She’d always put her own life at risk to save someone else. She’s an extraordinary lady and very brave.

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The villager added that Johnson put herself in “immense danger” during the rescue.

The owners said their tropical house would remain closed until further notice.

Crocodiles rest inside an enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire, Britain, on April 14, 2026. (Dorota Dee Trajdos/Reuters)

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today,” the owners wrote on social media.

Johnsons of Old Hurst is a farm and zoo north of London in Huntingdon, England. (Google Maps)

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Huntingdonshire district councillor Charlotte Lowe said she couldn’t “fathom how it’s happened because they’ve got all the right protection and safety equipment, for want of a better word, in there,” The Guardian reported.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Cambridgeshire Constabulary for comment.

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