The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, met this Saturday with different leaders from the Middle East to discuss post-conflict scenarios in Gaza and look for formulas to increase the entry of humanitarian aid in the Strip.
Von der Leyen was received in Cairo by the Egyptian president, Abdelfatah el-Sisi, to address both the situation of the war in Gaza and the sending of humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing, which connects the Strip with the Egyptian province of Sinai. “I thanked Egypt for its key role in providing and facilitating humanitarian aid to vulnerable Palestinians,” she Von der Leyen said in a tweet after the meeting with el-Sisi.
The European Commission agrees with Cairo’s position on the issue of displaced Palestinians in Gaza and stressed that they should not be “forcibly displaced.” Von der Leyen offered a “political” response to the conflict based on a “two-state solution,” although he did not detail their borders. One of the purposes of Von der Leyen and Borrell’s trip to the Middle East is to discuss a post-conflict scenario that includes the participation of both the European Union, Israel, Arab leaders and the United States.
In this future scenario “it will not be possible to return to the old situation, with the territory as a haven for terrorism,” said a senior EU official at a press conference in Cairo before the meeting between Von der Leyen and al-Sisi. highlighting that Brussels rules out the survival of Hamas in Gaza. For the EU, only the Palestinian Authority – which currently governs the West Bank – will be able to control the territory, while Israel must withdraw from Gaza. “There cannot be a sustained blockade of Gaza. We have to think about the future, we have to find a formula to make Gaza economically viable,” the source added.
Von der Leyen also discussed with el-Sisi the strengthening of bilateral relations to achieve “a strategic and global partnership that is mutually beneficial,” said the president of the European Commission. Before the war, Brussels was working on a possible deal with Cairo to support Egypt’s economic development in exchange for strengthening its borders to prevent illegal immigrants from reaching Europe, especially from neighboring nations such as Sudan.
The European Union also hopes to have a fundamental partner in Egypt for its energy development with the trade of green hydrogen, and hopes to invest in the Arab country in this field. For his part, the Egyptian president reiterated that “an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the protection of civilians who are subjected to enormous human suffering are necessary.”
Al Sisi stressed the need for the international community to “assume its responsibilities and implement the resolutions of the UN Security Council” on Gaza, which recently approved a request for “urgent and expanded humanitarian pauses and corridors” that Israel has not complied with. After the meeting, Von der Leyen traveled to Al-Arish airport, where the delivery of humanitarian supplies from the EU is received, which are transported by the Egyptian Red Crescent. Shortly after, he traveled to Amman, where tomorrow he will discuss the same issues with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
For his part, Borrel continued today with his trip through the Middle East – which began on Thursday in Israel and the West Bank – and traveled this Saturday to Bahrain, where he spoke in a session on the war in Gaza in which the Saudi authorities also participated. “So, who will be in control of Gaza? I think only one person could do that: The Palestinian Authority,” Borrell said, during his speech at the foreign policy and security conference in Bahrain.
During the congress, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi ruled out his country’s participation in maintaining security in Gaza in a post-conflict scenario. “Are we supposed to go and clean up the mess? That’s not going to happen,” Safadi said. The head of Jordanian diplomacy pointed out that the presence of troops to maintain peace could be seen as enemies. “Speaking on behalf of Jordan and having discussed this issue with others, with almost all of our brothers, there will be no Arab troops in Gaza,” he reiterated.
