Returning from a diplomatic tour of the region, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said on Monday that the Middle East will be "more than ever" at the top of the agenda of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2024.
After meeting leaders in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, Foreign Minister Lahbib reaffirmed Belgium's commitment to protecting civilians and boosting international efforts for a peaceful solution to the violence in Israel and Palestine.
The current crisis "demonstrates once again the absolute necessity of creating a new political horizon that must lead to a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Lahbib told the Belga News Agency. "A two-state solution based on international law remains the only way forward for Belgium."
On Friday, Belgium voted at the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire, along with France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
The vote has revealed the divide between EU Member States, with the majority having abstained, citing the omission of any mention of Hamas. Austria, Croatia Czechia and Hungary all voted to reject the resolution on the same grounds, as did Israel and the United States.
"The conditions on the ground [in Gaza] are worsening, violence is spiralling too in the West Bank," said Josep Borell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Monday, while also adding that humanitarian aid to Gaza was "top priority" for the EU.
Borrell has also pledged €10 million for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), as requested by the European Parliament.
Lahbib's diplomacy push
"The international community has a duty to provide answers to the many questions raised by this conflict: how to restore lasting peace, guarantee the security of all parties, restore hope to the young people of Gaza," said Foreign Minister Lahbib, but also asked: "Who will rebuild the Palestinian enclave, with what funds, and who will lead the part of the enclave that is still under Hamas rule?"
Credit: Belga / Belgian Foreign Ministry / Eric Herchaft
"I indicated our full availability and our desire to participate in any initiative aimed at relaunching the peace process. The Middle East was already on the agenda of our Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and now it will be so more than ever," she added.
From Thursday to Sunday, the Belgian Foreign Minister travelled to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, where she held bilateral talks with her counterparts and officials from the Arab League, as well as, by telephone from Jordan, with the Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Of the topics discussed with Arab leaders included a humanitarian ceasefire, the swift evacuation of Belgian citizens in Gaza, the importance of safeguarding civilian lives from both sides and the need to create humanitarian corridors as soon as possible.
"My aim in visiting the region was to combine our efforts to achieve de-escalation. The aim is to understand each other better by exchanging our points of view, taking into account the reality on the ground and the pressure of respective public opinions," she stressed.
