The foreign ministers of Israel and Palestine will meet their European Union counterparts in Brussels today, where discussions are expected to focus on possible steps to reach a comprehensive peace agreement between the two sides, as the war in Gaza Strip still raging.
Israel Katz and Riad al-Maliki have been invited to participate — in the morning and afternoon, respectively, according to the provisional agendain today's Foreign Affairs Council, which will be devoted mainly to the situation in the Middle East, although the situation with regard to the war in Ukraine is also expected to be assessed.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan and the secretary general of the Arab League are also expected to attend.
Ahead of the council, the European External Action Service (EEAS) distributed to the 27 a document for discussion, which proposes a road map towards the resolution of the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the heart of this document is a “preparatory peace conference” proposed to be co-hosted by the EU, the Arab League, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It is proposed that the US and the UN be invited to also take on the role of co-hosts.
The summit will take place even if Israel and the Palestinians decide not to participatebut with consultations with them at every step, as the aim is to draw up a detailed peace plan, according to the text.
The internal document, which was seen by several media outlets, including the Reuters news agency, emphasizes that a key goal is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that will live alongside Israel in “peace and security.”
EU officials acknowledge that Israel currently shows no interest in the so-called two-state solution, but insist that this is the only path to lasting peace.
The document indicates that the meeting should decide what “consequences” the parties should face if they reject the peace plan, without clarifying what those would be.
The EU is among the main providers of financial aid to the Palestinians, while at the same time it has concluded a broad cooperation agreement with Israel, which includes a free trade zone. Some European officials believe that bilateral trade could be used as leverage to put pressure on the Israeli government.
Whether the 27 would approve this idea, however, is not at all certain. Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary are described as staunch supporters of Israel.
Source: News Beast
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