Joint statement by EU HR Kaja Kallas and the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee

The Parties discussed recent developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and expressed their grave concern over the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza and the large number of civilian casualties in recent airstrikes.

They condemned the resumption of hostilities and the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and called for an immediate return to the full implementation of the ceasefire-hostage and detainees release agreement, that went into effect on January 19th , and as brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, and stressed the need for progress towards its second phase with a view to its full implementation, including the release of all hostages, a permanent end to hostilities, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735.

The Parties further called for the complete respect of international humanitarian law and international law. They underscored that this includes ensuring swift, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access and the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip. In light of this, they demanded the lifting of all restrictions that hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid, as well as the immediate restoration of all basic services in the Strip, including the supply of electricity, including for water desalination plants.

The Parties welcomed the Arab Recovery and Reconstruction Plan, presented at the Cairo Summit on 4 March,  subsequently adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and welcomed by the European Council.

The Parties highlighted that the aforementioned plan ensures that the Palestinian people will remain on their territory, and emphasized in this regard their categorical rejection of any displacement or expulsion of the Palestinian people out of their territory,  Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and warned against the grave repercussions that would result from such actions.

The Parties underscored in this regard the importance of supporting the Conference on the Early Recovery and Reconstruction of Gaza, which is to be held in Cairo with the participation of relevant stakeholders. They called on the international community to work to mobilize resources, to be announced during the Conference, to address the catastrophic situation in Gaza.

The Parties stressed the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority(PA) and of supporting in this regard the PA in assuming all of its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, and ensuring it can effectively uphold its role in administering both Gaza and the West Bank. They emphasized the need for respect, and the preservation of the territorial integrity and unity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is key to consolidating the Palestinian state on the basis of the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regards to Jerusalem, in line with UN resolutions, and as part of the two-state solution, thus achieving long-term peace and stability in the region. They reiterated in this regard that the Gaza Strip constitutes  an integral part of the territory occupied in 1967 and reiterated the vision of the two-state solution, with the Gaza Strip as part of the Palestinian state, in line with International Law, including relevant Security Council resolutions and stressed that this should guide any discussion on the future of the Gaza Strip.

The parties expressed as well their  deep concern over the Israeli military incursions in the occupied West Bank, as well as illegal practices such as settlement activities, home demolitions, and settler violence, which undermine the rights of the Palestinian people, threaten the prospects for a just and lasting peace and further entrench the conflict. They recalled that Israel as occupying power, must protect civilians and comply with international humanitarian law. They firmly rejected any attempts at annexation and unilateral measures that seek to alter the legal and historical status quo of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.

Together, the Parties reaffirmed their full commitment to a political resolution to the conflict on the basis of the two-state solution with Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, and the Arab Peace Initiative, paving the way for lasting peace and coexistence between all the peoples of the region. They reaffirmed  their commitment in this regard to the convening of a UN High Level International Conference in June in New York co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia to advance these goals.

Source – EEAS

Thank you very much.

Good afternoon everybody.

It is a pleasure to be here. Minister Abdelatty, dear Badr, thank you for the warm hospitality here.

We discussed many important issues that the Foreign Minister has already covered, including relations between the European Union and Egypt, as well as the regional worries.

I must stress that the European Union and Egypt are very important partners.

Since we signed the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership last year we have deepened our relationship and there is a lot to build on. You already pointed out different areas, spanning political relations, trade, migration, security and education.

We greatly appreciate Egypt’s vital efforts in promoting stability across the region at a time when there are so many dangerous security developments going on.

I think that we really need to stick together.

Today, particularly we discussed the situation in Gaza. Egypt has played a key role amid the ceasefire negotiations and we are very grateful for that.

We strongly oppose Israel’s resumption of hostilities, which caused an appalling loss of life in Gaza. The killing must stop. In a new war, both sides lose. That is very clear.

From the European side, it is very clear that Hamas must release all hostages. Israel must fully reinstate humanitarian aid into Gaza. Negotiations must resume.

While it is difficult to speak of rebuilding of Gaza while bombs are flying, we also discussed the Arab plan for Gaza’s reconstruction. The plan offers a solid blueprint for rebuilding, and, again, I thank Egypt for the crucial role you have played in hosting the talks.

The European Union is ready to assist and is preparing a financial package to support also Gaza’s reconstruction. But it is clear that more clarity is needed on issues such as cost-sharing, security arrangements, and the future governance of Gaza. We will be discussing these issues with the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee later today.
We also remain committed to strengthening the governance of the region. It is clear that we do not support Hamas participating in the governance of Gaza in the future.

What I want to stress is that the EU’s commitment to the two-state solution is the only path to a real lasting and sustainable peace. The EU is committed to the two state solution, so we are supporting that path.

We also discussed Syria. The recent violence has shown that hope is hanging by a thread in Syria and we need to do everything to have stability in the region. Syrians have a small window of opportunity to shape their own destiny and this process has to be Syrian-led and Syrian-owned. And we will have to help them seize to size this opportunity window.

Last week, in Brussels we hosted the Syria Conference, pledging 5.8 billion euros for Syria’s recovery. But, of course, the lifting of sanctions is a step-for-step approach so we need to see the steps going in the right direction. This pledging will also support Syria at this crucial time of transition and help address the dire needs on the ground.

Foreign Minister, thank you again for the hospitality.

I think that there is a lot of work to do, that we need to work together for the stability of the region but also for the stability of the whole world, so I am really glad to be working with you and really looking forward to a close cooperation.

Q&A

Q. You have said that the EU is supporting the Arab Islamic Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza strip and you mentioned that Israel should take the responsibility of the ceasefire. So, what is the stance of the European Union towards Hamas? Would you like that Hamas gets out of the scene in order to provide the support, or not?

Thank you for the question. Yes, we welcome the Arab Plan but, like I said, it also has a lot of questions that need to be clarified. One question is the cost sharing of the future reconstruction, the very important question of the governance of Gaza in the future and the security arrangements as well, because the security concerns of Israel also need to be taken into account.

The European Union’s position is that Hamas should have no role in the future governance of Gaza and that is something that we definitely need to discuss because the Arab plan does not address this in concrete terms.

Q. You will leave from Egypt to Israel. In light of the Israeli aggression in Gaza and in the south of Lebanon, what is the political role of the European Union? How can the European Union practice pressure to stop this aggression? In addition, on the plan of the reconstruction in Gaza, can the European Union have a power inside Gaza in the first phases?

Thank you. Yes, I will travel to Israel and of course, we will raise all these issues because we are very concerned about the hostilities and the loss of life in Gaza due to Israel’s resumption of hostilities. We had the Association Council with Israel where we were also raising all these issues: that they should resume the negotiations and stop the killing there and stop the bombing there. Of course, the hostages have to be released as well.

So, our messages are very clear: humanitarian law has to be followed, people’s lives have to be saved, humanitarian aid must reach the people, it can’t be politicised. Our border-crossing mission that the minister was mentioning, EUBAM Rafah has to be open, because people with medical needs will get out of Gaza. It is very important that the hostilities stop and people’s lives are saved and spared. I think that the resumption of this war just brings more killing and is not in the interest of anybody. So, I will definitely raise these issues and we, European Union, will use the tools that are in our hands.

Source – EEAS