In a diplomatic manoeuvre that raised eyebrows, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz took an unconventional approach during talks with EU counterparts on Monday, sidestepping discussions on the situation in Gaza and the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Instead, he showed aspirational videos of future infrastructure projects in the region, creating a stir among EU diplomats.
The EU27 initially met with Katz before engaging in separate discussions with Riyad al-Maliki, the top diplomat of the Palestinian Authority.
Following this, they held a separate session with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan to address the ongoing crisis in Gaza and broader Middle East concerns.
The EU foreign ministers stressed their support for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as part of a comprehensive long-term peace plan, as presented by the bloc’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell.
However, Katz presented videos of an envisioned artificial island off the coast of Gaza and a rail network connecting the Middle East to India, surprising EU diplomats.
After the meeting, Borrell told reporters: “The minister showed us a couple of videos which had little or nothing to do with the issues we were discussing.”
He added that Katz “could have made better use of his time”.
EU diplomats clarified that the videos were part of ideas Katz had already presented nearly a decade ago in his previous role as Israel’s transport minister, and they were not directly linked to the so-called two-state solution.
Although the videos did not propose using the island to house Gazans, the EU diplomats found it surreal that, instead of addressing the dire situation on the ground, the Israeli delegation focused on infrastructure projects.
Concerns and reactions were palpable among EU foreign ministers, with some directly addressing the disparity in the discussions. French Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Sejourne expressed worry over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of statehood.
He said: “There will be a need for a Palestinian state with security guarantees for all.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell questioned Israel’s alternative solutions, asking: “Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill them off?”
