The EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting that took place on Monday in Luxembourg not only addressed issues concerning the war in Ukraine, but also talks with Palestinian PM Mohammad Mustafa on the situation in Gaza. Ambassador Amal Jadou was also present for these talks. In this context, the EU unblocked on Monday €1.6 billion in aid for the populations of Gaza and the West Bank destined to essential infrastructure, humanitarian aid, and aid for refugees.
In conversation with RTL, Jadou explained that their goals were twofold. On the one hand, they wished to prompt the EU to act more assertively against the conflict in Gaza in order to make it come to an end. On the other hand, they requested as much humanitarian aid as possible, given the ongoing crisis that is worsened by the Israeli blockade.
The breach of the ceasefire mid-March has led to a standstill in peace negotiations, with further casualties reported, especially women and children. Against this backdrop, Jadou calls for the EU to be more assertive, as the two-state solution was a proposal supported mainly by the EU, with the latest initiative in its favour being the planned peace conference spearheaded by France and Saudi Arabia.
An important step in this direction is, according to Jadou, the recognition of Palestine as a state, as called for by French President Emmanuel Macron. In this regard, Jadou suggested that Luxembourg, Belgium, and other countries in Europe should heed Macron’s call, as only 12 European countries currently recognise Palestine as a state.
Jadou specifically calls for Luxembourg to follow this step in order to give hope to the Palestinian people, stating that the worst thing that could happen is the loss of hope given the extreme conditions under which Palestinians are currently living in.
The ambassador stated further that Europe is an important “player”, having diplomatic relations with both Israel and the US. As such, Palestinian authorities count on Europe to give an impulse to building state institutions for a future Palestinian state.
Addressing the statements made by US President Trump aiming to make the Gaza Strip the “Riviera of the Middle East”, Jadou expressed her outrage, calling this view “unfathomable”. As Palestinians, she said, they will never abandon their homeland, just as other nations do not abandon theirs. They seek to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine through political, diplomatic, and legal venues, without violence, she stated.
However, Jadou believes that it is not realistic to ban Hamas from Gaza in view of a solution to the conflict, explaining that is not a “closed box”, but a political party of the Palestinian people, which she said can only be beaten with a better ideology, one based on peace and security for Palestinians. Bringing prosperity and statehood to Palestinians, that is, having their own state as a nation, will weaken Hamas’ ideology, she concluded.
