Hours before Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the cease-fire deadline by two more days, top diplomats from the EU and Arab nations convened to find an end to the ongoing aggression and elongate peace in Gaza.
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Palestinian Appeal for Peace
Foreign Affairs Minister of Palestine Riad al-Maliki appealed during the meeting in Spain for extended peace in Gaza. Hours after the meeting and the plea, a consensus was made between Israel and Hamas to extend the cease-fire for two more days.
Diplomats from the EU and Arab nations attended the Union for the Mediterranean, chaired by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. Foreign ministers represented the remaining 43 nations.
Riad al-Maliki, the Foreign Minister, said during a news conference the need to find out the necessary pressure to be applied on the Israeli government so that the atrocities ongoing in Palestine can end. He said that the sudden resuming of the war would lead to more deaths in a situation that has killed over 14,000 people, of which a vast majority are Palestinians.
The Union for the Mediterranean
The meeting, chaired by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, failed to produce any significant policy initiatives. The Union for the Mediterranean is a platform for better cooperation between the EU and the Arab nations. The meeting gave the EU a chance to hear directly from northern African and Middle Eastern countries who strongly support the Palestinian cause.
Israel did not attend the meeting, and EU’s foreign policy chief, Borrell, said he “regretted” the absence of Israel. Borrell said that the peace between Israel and Palestine has turned into a strategic necessity for the entire Euro-Mediterranean community and beyond.
Calls for Two-state Solution
EU’s foreign policy chief, Borrell, said that all the EU members attending the meeting and almost all attendees favour the two-state solution. He advocated for the Palestinian Authority to hold elections expeditiously to gain further legitimacy and for effective functioning. Borell considered this as the only viable solution to the future leadership of Gaza. A two-state solution envisions a state for the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip alongside Israel.
Ayman Safadi, the Foreign Minister of Jordan, said that any talk of leadership in Gaza after the conflict should focus on Gaza and the West Bank as one unit, and the Palestinian people should decide their leaders.
Riyad al-Maliki, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, said that the Palestinian Authority lost control of the Gaza Strip in a 2007 power struggle with Hamas, and had no need to return to Gaza.
The Qatari mediation
Qatar acted as the mediator in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and came out successful in extending the cease-fire truce for another two days. The news gives out more hope for the release of hostages and delivering humanitarian aid. The agreement came into effect a few hours before the end of the four-day humanitarian pause. Hamas said that the consensus aims to extend the truce by 48 hours under the existing terms. Negotiations for lasting peace between Israel and Hamas is ongoing.
