Israel cannot build peace “through military means alone,” European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell stressed on Monday, insisting on “a two-state solution” before meeting heads of Israeli and Palestinian diplomacy.
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The 27 European foreign ministers will separately receive Israeli diplomatic chief Israel Katz and Palestinian Authority chief Riyad al-Maliki on Monday.
“We want to create a two-state solution. Let’s talk about it,” Borrell told reporters in Brussels, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his rejection of “Palestinian sovereignty.”
“What other solutions are you thinking about?” asked Mr Borrell. “Let all Palestinians go? Kill her?” he added.
The head of European diplomacy said she had presented the 27 ministers with “a global approach” to a lasting peace.
The latter will also meet their Egyptian counterparts Sameh Choukry, the Saudi Faisal ben Farhane and the Jordanian Ayman Safadi as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit at a working lunch. So many countries and organizations that could play an important economic and political role after the war.
EU countries are concerned about the number of civilian casualties since Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 and have repeatedly called for humanitarian ceasefires.
But despite their major disagreements, they have so far failed to go beyond this and agree on a ceasefire call, which certain countries such as Germany rejected. They emphasized Israel's right to defend itself.
The war, which has devastated the Gaza Strip and displaced more than 80% of the population, was sparked by a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,140 people, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, 25,105 people were killed in Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory.