A prominent European Union official has publicly criticized that other EU ministers present at the meeting were “perplexed” by his pitch. Another source told the Guardian that “Ministers ignored it [the pitch] and went ahead with what they were there to talk about. Nobody engaged with it.
Earlier reports suggested that the proposal may be part of a wider plan to relocate Palestinians to the island, with one Israeli official saying the initiative could include housing for Gazans, according to The New York Times. A Guardian report also cited sources who claimed that Katz suggested Palestinians be moved to the island, raising alarm. Israel’s foreign ministry denied the report, telling The Times of Israel that “there is no such plan.”
The summit comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial statements rejecting the concept of a Palestinian state, and doubling down on his intentions to keep the war going.
That didn’t stop Borell from making the EU’s position on the matter clear:
“The member states have all told [Kat], of course, that they believe that the solution for a permanent and lasting peace that guarantees Israel’s security comes about with the creation of a Palestinian state,” he said, adding: “We will not accept anything less than a cease-fire.”
