European Union special envoy to the Middle East Sven Koopmans is determined to work for a two-state solution that would end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, despite strong opposition from Netanyahu’s government.
The diplomat does not lose hope. For him, it would always be possible to relaunch a “peace process”. In a statement to AFP, the European Union’s special envoy to the Middle East Sven Koopmans recalls that the “priority” is to “help put an end to the suffering in Gaza” while trying to avoid ” a regional war”, which would win in particular Lebanon.
The “most important political neighbor”
An action which is in line with the declaration of the European Council on the Middle East of 1980, known as Venice, affirming in particular “the right to existence and security of all States in the region, including Israel” as well as “the recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”, in this case, that of “self-determination”.
The diplomat also assures that behind the scenes, Brussels is one of the capitals where people are working to end the crisis: “We are the most important political neighbor of the two parties. Of course, we are not the most important partner on security issues, but we are an important and relevant player.” On this subject, he also adds that the EU is “the first trading partner of the Israelis, the most important donor of the Palestinians”.
A diplomatic solution
According to the Dutch diplomat, all member states agree on the need for the creation of a Palestinian state, and the recognition in May and June of the State of Palestine by Spain, Ireland and Slovenia can ” contribute” to a diplomatic solution.
However, faced with the different positions and interests of member countries, structural obstacles in terms of diplomacy are revealed. The big gap between the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and countries like Hungary or the Czech Republic, testifies to this disparity. The first increased the denunciations of “violations of international law” by Israel in the Gaza Strip, when Budapest and Prague slowed down European sanctions against Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
“Emergency financial support”
In office since 2021, the EU special envoy for the Middle East peace process says that “the EU wants to see the Palestinian Authority succeed” and “strengthen” the government in Ramallah so that it “can govern in Gaza when possible.” The European Commission also announced on Saturday July 20 the release of “emergency financial support” of 400 million euros in grants and loans, to be paid between July and September “subject to progress in the implementation of the program reform of the Palestinian Authority.
With a view to discussing the “situation in Gaza” and “respect for human rights”, the EU sent an invitation to Israel at the beginning of June, which agreed to a meeting in the second half of 2024. “I am certain that this meeting will give rise to very in-depth discussions on what we expect from our Israeli partner,” explains Sven Koopmans. Remember that the EU also received at the end of May the ministers of several Arab countries, notably Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Qatar, to discuss the post-war in Gaza.
This article is originally published on lanouvellerepublique.f
