BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers on Monday pressed Israel for an eventual two-state solution with the Palestinians after the war in Gaza, at meetings with the top diplomats from the two sides and key Arab states in Brussels.
The surprise Hamas attack on October 7 on Israel and the subsequent devastating military response from Israel has plunged the Middle East into fresh turmoil and sparked fears of a broader conflict.
But while the bloodshed appears to have driven a long-term solution further out of sight, EU officials insist now is the time to talk about finally resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The 27 EU ministers met first with Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz before sitting down separately with the Palestinian Authority’s top diplomat, Riyad al-Maliki.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia also held talks with the European ministers.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has left over 25,000 Palestinians dead, the vast majority women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Netanyahu has vowed “complete victory” over Hamas after the attacks by the Islamist movement’s fighters on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Hamas militants also seized about 250 hostages and Israel says around 132 remain in besieged Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has drawn condemnation from the United Nations and defied key backer the United States by rejecting calls for a Palestinian state.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the “humanitarian situation could not be worse” in Gaza
He told Israel that “peace and stability cannot be built only by military means”.
“Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill off them?” Borrell said.
Katz ignored questions from journalists over a future two-state solution and said Israel was focused on returning the hostages and ensuring its own security.
Al-Maliki demanded the EU call for a ceasefire immediately and urged the bloc to consider sanctions against Netanyahu for “detroying the chances for a two-state solution”.
“Every day that ... we show hesitancy people are being killed,” he said.
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