Palestinians need sovereignty, not security solutions imposed by the international community, Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Monday.
Speaking in Brussels alongside EU foreign affairs minister Kaja Kallas and Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, Mr Mustafa stressed that Gaza was still stricken by war and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank had not brought stability.
“We value the role of the European Union, the United States, other international partners and their contributions to border management, rule, flow and institutional support in Palestine,” Mr Mustafa said. “Such efforts are essential, but they must be part of a broader political strategy that leads to sovereignty. Security without sovereignty will not endure.”
Ministers held talks as part of the ninth meeting of the global alliance for the implementation of the two-state solution, an initiative launched in September 2024 in New York by the EU, Norway and Saudi Arabia. It includes dozens of countries, but not the US and Israel.
The Israeli government rejects Palestinian statehood and says a negotiated solution to the conflict must come through direct talks, not international frameworks.
Meanwhile, a US-brokered ceasefire for Gaza last year has not yet been fully implemented, as Hamas and the Israeli military remain in the enclave. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is unable to take over the governance of the enclave.
'One law, one gun'
"A key pillar of forced stabilisation in Gaza is a unified and comprehensive security framework," Mr Mustafa said. "This should be done through the implementation of the policy of one state, one government, one law and one gun, the gradual and responsible collection of arms from all armed groups, and also the full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza."
In the West Bank, Israeli actions have impeded the two-state solution, Mr Mustafa added. "The Palestinian people's rights and the Palestinian Authority is being systematically undermined by Israeli policies and actions, especially in the security and economic fronts," he said. "The continued escalation of violence, settlement expansion, annexation and settler terrorism, which continue with full impunity and with the support of the Israeli occupying forces."
The EU's approach to the conflict has been to stress the bloc's backing of the PA, which is not represented on the executive board of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace. Senior PA officials have also denied visas for the US.
EU divisions
Brussels is the top financial donor to the PA, but has little sway over political discussions on the conflict owing to divisions among EU states. "The EU is the largest external assistance provider to the Palestinian Authority. That alone speaks volumes about our commitment to assist you and encourage ongoing reforms," Ms Kallas said.
The EU's 27 states have been unable to agree on using the bloc's commercial influence against Israel to put pressure on the country to make concessions to Palestinians – an option tabled by the European Commission in September. This came months after the EU found in an internal report that, in its war in Gaza, Israel breached a human rights clause enshrined in its relations with the bloc. The EU is Israel's largest trading partner.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pushed for the EU-Israel agreement to be suspended, with the move likely be discussed on Tuesday at a meeting of the bloc's 27 foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
Public pressure has increased since Israel's latest war against Iran, with more than a million EU citizens signing a petition to suspend the EU-Israel agreement. That will force the European Commission to examine the issue, but without any obligation to table a formal proposal.
Yet large countries necessary to reach a qualified majority to suspend preferential EU tariffs with Israel have not yet offered their support. Germany is likely to continue to oppose the idea, while Italy has shied away from criticism of Israel, despite Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently suspending the automatic renewal of a defence agreement between the countries.
