At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said that he was pushing for a preparatory peace conference to end the war in the Gaza Strip, which would be organized by the EU, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the League of Arab States. Crucially, he did not say whether representatives from the Israeli and Palestinian governments would be invited to participate.
Discord in Brussels
Within the 27-member bloc on Borrell’s approach, with some states, like Luxembourg, arguing that a solution cannot be imposed on the parties, while others, like Belgium, say a cease-fire must be demanded of Israel.
While details of the proposal remain scarce, the EU does have leverage over the sides that it could use to try and demand compliance with the bloc’s proposals. The EU is the largest international donor of aid to the Palestinians: under the European Joint Strategy 2021-2024, almost €1.2 billion is earmarked for Palestinian causes, of which €691 million has already been adopted.
The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, with more than 25% of the country’s exports having gone to the European bloc in 2022.
