4 EU countries call for Gaza peace conference; US discusses process of establishing future Palestinian state

Four European countries highlighted the seriousness of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza and the risk of escalating the conflict across the region.

Người dân Palestine chạy trốn khỏi miền Bắc Gaza, đi ngang qua xe tăng của quân đội Israel, ngày 24/11 tại Dải Gaza. Tuần qua, Israel và Hamas đạt thỏa thuận ngừng bắn trong 4 ngày, bắt đầu từ 24/11. Theo đó, Israel ngừng chiến dịch trên không và trên bộ

Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza pass by Israeli army tanks on November 24. (Source: Getty)

In a letter to European Council President Charles Michel, the Prime Ministers of four European Union (EU) member states, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and Malta, expressed their hope that the bloc's leaders will discuss the situation in Gaza next week and make a joint call for a lasting humanitarian ceasefire that could end the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In the letter, the four prime ministers highlighted the serious nature of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza and the risk of escalating conflict across the region.

The summary of the letter calls on EU leaders to adopt a common position of “urgently requesting the parties concerned to declare a lasting humanitarian ceasefire that would lead to a cessation of hostilities” and urging immediate measures to protect civilians in Gaza.

In addition, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and Malta - four countries that have previously criticized Israel for its handling of the conflict - also called for a peace conference on Gaza to be held as soon as possible to discuss the issue of establishing a Palestinian State coexisting with the State of Israel.

In addition, the four countries also argued that to prevent violence from spreading to the West Bank, the assets of Israeli settlers who commit acts of violence - when attacking fellow Palestinians who have been forcibly displaced - should be frozen.

As planned, the leaders of the 27 EU member states will meet on December 14 and 15 in Brussels (Belgium) to discuss support policies for Kiev, dealing with Russia's military campaign in Ukraine and amending the bloc's long-term budget. The situation in the Middle East is also on the agenda of the event.

In another related development, on the same day, December 9, the US State Department issued a statement saying that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with a joint delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League (AL) from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Washington DC to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, including the need for humanitarian assistance for this Mediterranean strip of land.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Blinken emphasized the importance of the responsibility to meet humanitarian needs in Gaza, protect civilians, prevent displacement of people in the area and restrain the conflict from further escalating.

The statement emphasized: “Secretary (Blinken) discussed the US commitment to the goal of achieving lasting peace and security in the region, including the process of establishing a future Palestinian State, coexisting side by side with the State of Israel.”

In addition, the US and Turkish foreign ministers also discussed the war between Israel and Hamas, focusing on efforts to ensure the conflict does not spread to other parts of the region, the need to free the remaining hostages and provide humanitarian aid.

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