The European Union’s diplomatic corps sent a discussion paper to member states proposing a road map for peace between the Palestinians and Israel in light of the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip for more than 3 months.
The distribution of the internal document drawn up by Brussels’ foreign affairs arm came ahead of the monthly meeting of European Union foreign ministers on Monday, which this time was attended by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the Secretary-General of the Arab League.
The meeting’s talks focused mainly – according to statements by Union officials – on the repercussions of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle launched by the Palestinian resistance on settlements in the Gaza Strip on October 7, the ongoing Israeli war on the Strip since that date, and other files such as the Ukraine war.
The 12-point plan calls for a “preparatory conference for peace” organized by the European Union, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the League of Arab States, while also inviting the United States and the United Nations to participate in its holding.
The conference will be held “even if the Israelis or Palestinians refuse to participate.” But the document also indicates that both parties will be consulted at every step of the talks as delegates seek to develop a peace plan.
Imposing a two-state solution
“It is unrealistic to assume that Israelis and Palestinians will participate directly in bilateral peace negotiations in the near future,” the document stated.
Instead, the EU proposed parallel talks with the United States, the United Nations, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League, and the document threatened “consequences” against Israel if it refused to participate.
The document, which was distributed to European capitals, says: “The Palestinians will need a renewed political alternative to Hamas, while the Israelis will need to find the political will to participate in meaningful negotiations towards a two-state solution.”
“Therefore, it is the responsibility of external actors such as the European Union to assist the parties to the conflict by paving the way for comprehensive peace,” according to the document.
The proposed peace plan stressed that “there is no comprehensive and reliable solution other than the establishment of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.”
She added, “One of the core elements of the peace plan must be the development of strong security guarantees for Israel and the future independent state of Palestine, conditional on full mutual diplomatic recognition and integration of both Israel and Palestine into the region.”
Waving the consequences
The internal document indicated that the Union would move forward with peace talks to end the war in the Gaza Strip even without Israel’s participation.
The document says EU member states must be prepared to “identify the consequences they intend to attach to participation or non-participation in the peace plan.”
The document did not mention what these consequences are, at a time when the European Union has several potential aspects of influence.
The European Union is a major provider of economic aid to the Palestinians, and has a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with Israel that includes a free trade zone. Some officials privately suggested that this could be used to influence Tel Aviv, according to Reuters.
