BRUSSELS: The foreign ministers of the European Union will hold separate meetings on Monday with their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for a two-state solution, Western media reported.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday accused Israel of creating and financing Hamas to undermine the prospect for a possible Palestinian state.
Borrell stressed that the only way to get an enduring peace in the region was a two-state solution.
The 27 EU ministers will first meet with Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz, before holding a separate meeting with the Palestinian Authority’s top diplomat Riyad al-Maliki.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia will also hold meetings with the European top diplomats.
The EU has struggled for a unified stance on the conflict in Gaza as staunch backers of Israel such as Germany have dismissed demands for an immediate ceasefire made by Spain and Ireland.
EU officials have called for no long-term Israeli occupation and a role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.
Palestinian state only viable path to achieve lasting peace
The 27-nation bloc, along with the United States, thinks the creation of a Palestinian state remains the only viable path to achieve a lasting peace.
But Benjamin Netanyahu has defied US President Joe Biden by dismissing potential Palestinian sovereignty and saying his country must maintain security control over Gaza.
A high-ranking EU official said there were no expectations of any breakthroughs from these meetings on Monday.
The official said the idea is to have a full discussion with all the stakeholders to exchange views and try to understand everybody’s point of view in a better way.
Ahead of the meeting, the EU on Friday imposed sanctions on six people over financing of Hamas.
According to Gaza health ministry, the death toll in the war-torn Gaza Strip has surged to 25,105, mostly women and children, whereas 62,681 people have been injured in ongoing relentless Israeli bombardment since October 7.
