EU should not aim to be ‘neutral actor’ in Middle East peace process, bloc’s envoy says

A future Israel-Palestine peace deal can only come as part of concerted international efforts, which is why the EU should not aim to act as a ‘neutral actor’, the bloc’s Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Sven Koopmans told Euractiv.

EU leaders had made a breakthrough earlier this month by calling for an “immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire,” in Gaza. They also urged Israel not to launch a major ground offensive in the country’s southernmost city Rafah.

They also have revived efforts towards a Middle East peace process, for which the EU has pitched a plan for a “credible, comprehensive solution” to the Israel-Palestine conflict, amid a renewed flurry of diplomatic activity from US and European officials seeking to stop the fighting.

“We currently have a series of collective efforts, and it is in some way encouraging to see that basically everybody is having the same priorities and saying the same things at the same time,” Koopmans, who has been tasked by EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell to lead diplomatic efforts, said.

“However, it is discouraging that what us all collectively as internationals are so much in agreement about, is not happening,” he added.

Not a ‘neutral party’

Over the past six months, European leaders were increasingly urged to show the same respect for international law in Gaza, as they aim to uphold in Ukraine, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians face dire food shortages and possible famine.

The bloc has long been deeply divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians, and the devastating Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 October laid bare those differences between staunch Israel supporters and those increasingly uncomfortable with Jeruselm’s military campaign in Gaza.

Asked whether the EU can be an honest broker in the conflict, Koopmans said he “does not believe the EU has the responsibility to be a neutral party, that is standing somewhere in the middle.”

“We are not a neutral actor, we have very strong views about what should happen today and what the solution should entail,” he underlined.

“We have very strong values and interests, we are 450 million people, we are 27 EU governments, we are the neighbours to the Israelis and the Palestinians and have very strong ties with both of them,” he added.

“Nobody should expect the EU just to be the neutral party on the side and say ‘you’re not the honest broker, so we don’t want you involved’ – I mean, we are the EU,” he said.

“Who has asked the Americans who have tried in the past – and on some occasions successfully in Egypt, and Jordan – whether they were the honest broker before they reached and helped achieve past agreements?”

“This may sound quite radical, but we are not trying to be the honest broker,” Koopmans emphasised.

Asked about differences between EU member states, Koopmans said that despite previous differences, “there is unity and a shared objective on condemnation of terror attacks, need for the hostages to be released, that hunger cannot be used as a weapon of war, and full humanitarian access.”

Ireland, Malta, Slovenia, and Spain earlier this month said they were ready to recognise the state of Palestine as the “only way to achieve peace and security” in the war-ridden region.

Asked whether such declarations would impact diplomatic efforts, Koopmans said, “The fact that there are different nuances and plans on recognizing the Palestinian state, I do not believe is having a negative impact.

I am not worried about EU member states having different opinions, nuances, as long as [they] all work towards the same objective.”

“We have some countries that have the best contacts on the Palestinian side, some have the contacts on the Israeli side, and some have them on both sides,” Koopmans pointed out.

“If we want to move closer to peace, we need to use all of them,” he added.

Moving away from Camp David

“What we need to invest in right now is that we need to get all the minds ready for the idea that there is a new way in which you can prepare for peace, that we don’t have to try the same old thing that has been tried for the last 30 years, and that didn’t work,” said Koopmans.

“This should come in addition to focusing on the first priority of ending the suffering in Gaza, flooding the [Gaza] Strip with humanitarian aid and having all hostages released, and the second priority of avoiding a regional war,” he said.

For that, the bloc’s diplomatic plan foresees preparing for an international peace conference to broker a deal, aiming to provide security assurances for both Israel and a future Palestinian state.

“At the conference, you can adopt a working plan to develop all the components of a comprehensive regional peace,” he said.

“This [would be] different from the old-fashioned Camp David model where you have the Israeli leader and the Palestinian leader brought together by the American president,” he pointed out.

The diplomat further added, “Peace is much more than just a bilateral agreement – it is complete regional economic and political integration, it is security for the Israelis, security for the Palestinians.”

While Koopmans said this would not mean diminishing previous US efforts for peace in the region, “nobody – not the US, certainly not the EU, Turkey, but also not any of our Arab friends – is in itself sufficient to achieve peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians alone.”

Koopmans, however, stressed that any diplomatic solution can’t come without easing the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

It is above anything else that children do not die of hunger, while food is just an hour’s drive away, that there is medical support for people who are sick, who are dying, who are wounded, who are pregnant.

“Way before we get to talk about a preparatory peace conference and the two-state solution – our immediate urgent priority is to get people to survive today,” he said.

“We have to ensure, that aid workers can do their work, they are true heroes and then they’re killed for it, let’s not forget what effect that has on the population,” he added.

Trump-proofing possible?

With no immediate diplomatic resolution in sight, Europeans are also worrying about what a potential comeback of former US President Donald Trump after the US elections in November could mean for the course of the conflict.

Asked whether it’s possible to ‘Trump-proof’ current Middle East diplomacy, Koopmans quoted Dutch Prime Minister Rutte who is known for saying “One has to dance with whoever is on the dance floor.”

“US President Biden, US President Trump – we may all have our views and we may all think that one way or the other is better or easier or more difficult,” he said, adding he “does not think the people in Gaza can wait until the November elections.”

“A two-state solution is not something you can achieve in a day, but we have presented our ideas to prepare for peace, irrespective of the US elections, which would include the organisation of the preparatory peace conference after a ceasefire.

Doing this real work will take us beyond the US elections and then we need a US president, who is willing, able, and has the political capital to make the deal,” said Koopmans.

“And if then that US president gets international applause for it – I think the EU would be very happy,” he added.

[Edited by Rajnish Singh]