Gaza humanitarian pause should evolve into ceasefire – EU top diplomat

“The pause should be extended to make it sustainable and long-lasting while working for a political solution,” Borrell said during a meeting of Union for the Mediterranean foreign ministers in Barcelona.

“A prolonged ceasefire that allows more hostages to be released, and that evolves towards a permanent ceasefire linked to a political process, is something we have consensus on,” he further explained to reporters.

Borrell also outlined his vision for a political resolution to the conflict based on the so-called two-state solution where a reinforced Palestinian Authority would take control of the Gaza Strip with the backing of the European Union.

He told reporters failing to do so would make Gaza “fertile ground” for violence and extremism that would not be in Europe’s interest.

The meeting marked the start of a two-day forum of the Union of the Mediterranean, which will focus on the conflict engulfing the Gaza Strip with an aim to boost political efforts to work towards a peaceful solution. Israel has not sent a representative, despite it being one of the founding members.

Borrell’s remarks come as the four-day pause in hostilities, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US to allow the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid into the Gaza strip, entered its final day.

Hamas said on Sunday it would be willing to extend the truce, while Israel suggested an extension would be conditional on the release of more of its civilians held captive in Gaza.

Earlier on Monday, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg also called for the pause in fighting in Gaza to be extended to allow the flow of further aid and the release of more civilian hostages.

In late October, European Union leaders issued a joint call for “humanitarian pauses” to relieve human suffering in Gaza, stopping short of calling for a humanitarian ceasefire despite calls from a handful of member states.

But statements made by some heads of EU governments in recent days have sparked Israeli outrage and threatened to fracture the EU’s hard-fought united stance on the conflict.

EU leaders reprimanded by Israel

During their joint visit to the region last week, Spanish and Belgian prime ministers Pedro Sánchez and Alexander De Croo denounced Israel for indiscriminate killings of civilians as they spoke to reporters at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

Israel’s foreign minister Eli Cohen condemned what he described as the “false statements” of Sánchez and De Croo, claiming that their comments “support terrorism.”

Sánchez, whose newly reinstated government holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, said Madrid was open to unilaterally recognising the state of Palestine, even without the broader support of the European Union.

Hamas congratulated both leaders Saturday for their “clear and bold stance,” further inflaming Israeli indignation.

But Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares, who hosts the two-day Union for the Mediterranean forum, has rejected Israel’s accusations against Sánchez and De Croo as “completely false and unacceptable,” saying his government was mulling its response.

In a further escalation, Israel also accused Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of losing his “moral compass” over the weekend, after Varadkar described nine-year-old Irish-Israeli hostage Emily Hand as being “lost” before her release by Hamas on Saturday.

“Emily and more than 30 other Israeli children were taken hostage by Hamas, and you Leo Varadkar are trying to legitimise and normalise terror. Shame on you!” Cohen said in a statement on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Varadkar later released a formal statement which said Hand had been “snatched”, “held captive” and “a hostage.” “I have always been consistent in my unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and hostage-taking,” the taoiseach told Irish national broadcaster RTÉ.

The ambassadors of Spain, Belgium and Ireland have been summoned by the Israeli foreign ministry, in a clear sign of escalating diplomatic tension.

“The latest issues between Israel and Spain and Belgium are purely bilateral and they are not for us to comment,” a spokesperson for the European Commission said earlier on Monday.

Borrell “appalled” by plans to fund settlements

Borrell also said on Monday he was “appalled” by reports that the Israeli government would allocate further funds for illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.

“I was appalled to see that the Israel government plans to allocate another $43 million to increase the settlement activities, and I have condemned it,” he said ahead of the meeting.

“The violence spread by extremist settlers in the West Bank, many times under the protection of Israeli police and military, does not make Israel safer. The settlements are Israel’s greatest security liability,” he added.

His comments came as Israel’s war cabinet is expected to discuss an amended wartime budget. Proposals made by finance minister Bezalel Smotrich to continue to funnel funds towards settlement development have highlighted deep rifts in the cabinet, with some ministers criticising the plans for diverting finances from war efforts. 

A presidential spokesperson on behalf of the Palestinian Authority also said earlier on Monday that the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, was planning to allocate funds in the 2023 budget to “entrench colonisation in the Palestinian territories.”

According to the United Nations, attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have surged at an unprecedented rate since the conflict erupted on October 7th.

Far-right security minister Itamar Ben Gvir has announced days following Hamas’ attack that his government would purchase 10,000 rifles for civilian security squads in West Bank settlements.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, widely considered one of the most pro-Israeli voices in Brussels, joined calls on Friday for an end to settler violence.

“Unacceptable violence by extremists in the West Bank has to stop,” she said during a press conference in Canada.