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BRUSSELS, May 24. () –
The foreign ministers of the European Union will discuss with their Middle East counterparts this Monday the future in Gaza, with an eye on an end to the war between Israel and Hamas and on working towards a two-state solution, after the step taken by Spain, Ireland and Norway to recognize the State of Palestine.
On Monday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, as well as the secretary of the Arab League, will travel to Brussels for a meeting in which they will insist on ending the war between Israel and Hamas, which has left more than 35,000 dead in the Strip, as well as advancing the two-state solution.
The Arab countries arrive in the community capital with their own peace proposal and plans for Gaza, once the end of hostilities in the Strip is achieved. The idea of the EU is to bring positions closer together and listen to the perspective of the countries in the region, with the idea of working on a peace conference, which Spain has been demanding for months. “We want to listen to and share the EU’s contribution to ending the crisis,” explained a senior EU official.
Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa will be in Brussels on Sunday for high-level meetings and the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, is expected to meet with the leader of the Palestinian Authority.
All at a time when Spain, Ireland and Norway have agreed to recognize Palestine, which will be formalized on Tuesday the 28th. These countries see this step as a contribution to the two-state solution, a common denominator within the EU despite the differences generated by the crisis in the Middle East. The step was applauded by the region, ensuring that the decision “puts them on the right side of history.” Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas also welcomed the gesture.
Other countries in the bloc view the recognition with more suspicion, understanding that it is not the right time to take this step and although the issue will be on the ministers’ table this Monday, a diplomatic source explains that it does not represent an “additional burden” for the rest. of Member States since each one has autonomy for this decision.
Before Monday’s meeting, another diplomatic delegation openly criticized the step taken by Spain, Ireland and Norway, insisting that it “will not help” the peace process and will make everything “more difficult” since, in their opinion, the matter has to go hand in hand with talks between Israelis and Palestinians. “We understand that it has been done basically for internal political reasons and perhaps it does not have much to do with what is happening in the Middle East,” she noted.
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