The foreign ministers of the European Union, meeting this Monday, will discuss peace measures between the Israelis and the Palestinians, whose heads of diplomacy will be present in Brussels, even as the war continues to rage in the Gaza strip.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Palestinian Foreign Minister Ryad al-Maliki will hold separate talks with their European counterparts.
If this regular meeting of European ministers will also concern the war in Ukraine, the bulk of the discussions will focus on the conflict in the Middle East, while the heads of Saudi, Egyptian and Jordanian diplomacy are also expected.
Ahead of the meeting, the European executive sent the Twenty-Seven a document to serve as a basis for discussions in which a road map for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is suggested.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7 in southern Israel, during which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 kidnapped according to the Palestinian authorities – dozens were then released as part of an agreement overseen by the Qatar – the IDF offensive carried out in retaliation in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 25,000 people, according to the latest report on Sunday from Palestinian health authorities.
The EU document calls for a “preparatory peace conference” to be organized jointly with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League, whose secretary general will attend the meeting on Monday. The United States and the United Nations are also invited to be among the organizers of this conference.
According to the document, which several media outlets including Reuters were able to consult, the conference would take place even if the Israelis and Palestinians refused to take part. Both camps would, however, be consulted at each stage of discussions intended to establish a peace plan, it is indicated.
A key objective is the creation of an independent Palestinian state which would live “alongside Israel in peace and security”, underlines the European diplomatic document.
EU officials admitted that Israeli leaders were currently unwilling to discuss a two-state solution, but insisted it was the only option for long-term peace. term.
The community bloc provides major economic aid to the Palestinians and also has a broad cooperation agreement with Israel, including free trade. Privately, some officials have suggested using the deal to influence Israel.
But it is not certain that a consensus will be reached on the issue within the EU, while Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary strongly support Israel.
This article is originally published on zonebourse.com
