Two-state solution can be drawn up without Israel at the table, says EU diplomat
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The European Union will press ahead with peace talks to end the war in Gaza without the involvement of Israel, according to an internal document.
A 12-point peace plan drawn up by Brussels’ foreign affairs arm states that it is “unrealistic to assume that Israelis and Palestinians will in the near future directly engage in bilateral peace negotiations”.
Instead, the bloc proposed parallel talks with the US, United Nations, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the League of Arab States, while threatening “consequences” against Israel if it refuses to engage.
“Palestinians will need a revitalised political alternative to Hamas, while Israelis will need to find the political will to engage in meaningful negotiations towards the two-state solution,” the document, circulated to European capitals and seen by The Telegraph, says.
“Therefore, it is the responsibility of outside actors… such as the EU, to help the conflict parties by preparing the ground for comprehensive peace.”
The so-called “peace plan” was proposed to EU foreign affairs ministers by Josep Borrell, the bloc’s top foreign diplomat, at a meeting in Brussels on Monday.
It comes after the UK and US expressed disappointment with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, for ruling out a two-state solution.
Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden held a call last night in which they agreed that a two-state solution is “more important than ever”.
Mr Netanyahu is under increasing political pressure to call elections amid growing internal conflict over the progress of the war.
“There is no credible comprehensive solution other than an independent Palestinian State living side by side with Israel,” the document states.
“An essential element of the peace plan should be the development of robust security assurances for Israel and the future independent State of Palestine, conditional upon full mutual diplomatic recognition and integration of both Israel and Palestine in the region,” it added.
A two-state solution is the favoured outcome for the EU, US and UK, a demand frequently repeated since the October 7 Hamas terror attack which killed at least 1,200 people in southern Israel.
With concerns over whether Israel would engage in such talks, the EU’s non-binding plan suggests updating the Jewish state at “every step”.
“Nevertheless, work on the development of the peace plan should start, and continue, also at times that one or other of the conflict parties is not ready to engage,” it states.
It was not immediately clear what “consequences” could be used to pressure Israel to the negotiating table.
The EU’s leverage largely focuses around trade, with an association agreement between the two sides having made the bloc Israel’s largest trade partner.
EU member states should be prepared to “set out the consequences they envisage to attach to engagement or non-engagement with the peace plan”, the document says.
Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the creation of a Palestinian state to achieve peace in the Middle East.
He insisted his country should maintain “security control over the entire west of Jordan” after a weekend phone call with Joe Biden.
Stephane Sejourne, France’s foreign minister, told reporters: “The declarations of Benjamin Netanyahu are worrying. There will be a need for a Palestinian state with security guarantees for all.”
Hadja Lahbib, his Belgian counterpart, said: “We demand an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages, the respect of international law, and a return to the peace process, which must lead to the creation of two states living in peace side by side.”
While the EU’s plan largely received a positive reception across the bloc, German diplomats raised private grievances about the prospect of pushing forward with peace talks without Israel.
Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s foreign minister, echoed the criticism: “If Israel is not at the table, there is no use to have peace conferences.”
There were wider complaints over the EU’s insistence the peace talks would not “address how to deal with the terror attacks by Hamas on and since October 7, 2023”.
Israel’s foreign minister, who attended the meeting in Brussels, dodged questions on the proposals and the possibility of statehood for Palestine.
“We have to bring back our security. Our brave soldiers are fighting in very hard conditions,” Israel Katz told reporters.
It came as angry relatives of Israeli hostages stormed a meeting in the country’s parliament demanding that all work cease to focus on freeing the captives.
Protesters overwhelmed security guards who were seen desperately trying to hold back the group as they carried placards saying “you will not sit here while they die over there”.
Meanwhile, in the UK, other families of hostages met with Rishi Sunak and urged him to put pressure on Qatar to do more with negotiations.
The UK and Qatar have close economic links as the Arab nation being Britain’s tenth largest landowner, with more assets than the Royal Family.
Ziv Abud, 26, is girlfriend of Eliya Cohen, 26, who is still held by Hamas. She says: “If they wanted, Qatar could get the hostages released tomorrow.
“They are supporters of Hamas but they need to pick a side.”
