EU and Arab Nations Agree Two-State Solution to Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is Required After War in Gaza Has Ended
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The European Union and the heads of a number of Arab states agreed on Monday that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be resolved through a two-state solution, with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell adding that the Palestinian Authority should rule the Gaza Strip once the Hamas terror group has been removed from power there, Reuters reports.
Israel is currently fighting to dismantle Hamas after it murdered 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis and kidnapped around 240 others during a surprise attack against Israel on October 7.
With no Israeli official present, Monday’s agreement on a two-state solution was reached during a summit of the Forum for the Union of the Mediterranean in Barcelona, a 43-member group of European, North African, and Middle Eastern countries, Reuters said.
A two-state solution is intended as a Palestinian state alongside Israel, which would comprise the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinians have stated they want East Jerusalem as their capital, a position which Israel has rejected. Other Arab leaders have called for Israel to withdraw to pre-1967 borders, a proposition that Israel asserts would place it in an impossibly vulnerable and defenseless position.
At a press conference following the meeting, Borrell asserted that the Palestinian Authority, which currently rules over Palestinians in parts of the West Bank, is the only contender for the task of ruling the Gaza Strip.
“I believe it is the only viable solution, but it will be viable if the international community backs it. Otherwise, we will see a power vacuum that will be fertile ground for all sorts of violent organizations,” Borrell said. Notably, Borrell’s recommendation about the Palestinian Authority taking over from Hamas is contrary to the Israeli government’s view that the PA led by Holocaust-denier Mahmoud Abbas, is unfit to lead Gaza as it is a corrupt, antisemitic organization which supports terrorism against Israel and has refused to condemn the Oct.7 attack by Hamas.
In a separate statement, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the West Bank and Gaza should be considered together as one entity and that the Palestinian people should decide who rules them.
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