EU deserves seat on Gaza 'board of peace' in return for funding recovery, says Kallas

In an interview with The National, the bloc's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas outlines how Europe and Arab states exchange co-operation in Gaza and Ukraine

The European Union's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has told The National that the bloc needs to play an active role in shaping the postwar governing of Gaza.

The EU is the top financial supporter of the Palestinian Authority and has historically been the largest humanitarian aid donor to Gaza. Speaking in her office in Brussels, Ms Kallas said the EU has “worries” about how the second phase of the ceasefire would be implemented. The first phase is expected to conclude when Israel and Hamas have completed the exchange of the bodies of hostages and prisoners.

“To discuss all these points, about the governance of Gaza, the financing issues – all these points where we have worries, that are not clear for the second phase – we need to be there around the table,” Ms Kallas said. That means a place on US President Donald Trump's ceasefire board of peace.

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The bloc must adapt to an “age of transactionalism”, she added, when asked if the EU had succeeded in becoming a “player” and not merely a “payer” – an expression often used in the corridors of power in Brussels. “It depends on how we play,” she answered.

Kaja Kallas speaks to The National about Gaza and Ukraine in her Brussels office. Sunniva Rose / The National

“We have been always the ones who are just giving the support, not asking many questions,” she said. “We really need to see that we also have a say over these things because it directly influences us.”

Interest swaps

To that end, she sees parallels between regional countries interests in Gaza and European priorities over Ukraine, particular on its energy security. When speaking to Arab states, Ms Kallas said, she has pushed comparisons between the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts to seek support for Kyiv.

During bilateral meetings with Gulf counterparts last month, Ms Kallas said she asked them to consider supporting the repair of Ukraine's electricity substations in the face of Russian bombardment. EU foreign ministers meeting on Monday agreed to make similar requests.

“I was also pleading, saying: 'We help you with Gaza, but in our region we have Ukraine, so please help us with Ukraine,'” she said. “It seemed to me they were listening.”

Ms Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, is often described as overly focused on Ukraine, to the detriment of the Middle East-related elements of the job. This carping comes despite Ms Kallas having travelled to the Middle East nearly three times more than to Kyiv since her mandate started in late 2024, according to her office.

She has pushed back against such criticism, saying that she has achieved more than her predecessor Josep Borrell, who was reportedly not on speaking terms with Israel at the end of his mandate due to his sharp criticism of its conduct.

Grappling with Israel

This summer, Ms Kallas negotiated directly with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar for more aid to enter Gaza, though she later said the amount was still insufficient. Now that the ceasefire is in place, aid should be allowed to flow in freely, but the World Food Programme has warned that this is not yet happening.

We help you with Gaza, but in our region we have Ukraine, so please help us with Ukraine

EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas,
on her discussions with Arab states

The EU's unanimous decision-making process has often hampered foreign policy decisions, such as sanctions, that could influence the conflict. Yet it can and does still use its influence to change Israeli positions, Ms Kallas argued, saying that she had convinced Mr Saar to push back the registration deadline for international organisations working in Gaza. She has also pushed - so far unsuccessfully - for European Commission officials to be allowed into Gaza.

“I feel that my counterpart, minister Saar, is really a good interlocutor and is listening and is making those steps, but of course as the situation is still grave it's not enough and we need to do more,” she said.

Ms Kallas has also pressed him to allow the transfer of withheld taxes to the Palestinian Authority – a body Europeans want to see strengthened to ultimately take over the governing of Gaza and the West Bank, and keep alive the possibility of a Palestinian state.

There is wide consensus that the Palestinian Authority needs to reform but that's “harder to do under attack”, Ms Kallas said. Mr Saar has listened to her complaints, she added, but “he says in the end it's the Prime Minister's decision, and there is only so much you can do regarding this” – a reference to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The EU wants to have a say on how Gaza is rebuilt. AFP

“I've asked other important people in Brussels to call their counterparts to ask for this,” she added. “Palestinians should get the revenues that belong to them.”

Arab diplomacy

Ms Kallas claims that European influence is important to Arab states. When she engaged with counterparts earlier this month on a planned summit in Moscow, the upshot was “they cancelled their meeting with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin”. The planned Russia-Arab summit was called off and the Kremlin said it was postponed so as to not interfere with Washington's ceasefire diplomacy. Media reports said that the reason was that too few Arab leaders had confirmed attendance, to the embarrassment of Mr Putin.

On Gaza, Ms Kallas warned that it was not safe to say that the war was over yet, despite the ceasefire withstanding its first “stress test”. Two Israeli soldiers and at least 53 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli shelling since Sunday.

This brings the overall death toll since the war began on October 7, 2023 to 68,280. Israel has been accused of orchestrating famine and genocide during the war, which started as retaliation for Hamas-led attacks in which around 1,200 people were killed.

Resource priorities

Unlike in March, when Israel breached a US-brokered ceasefire, US officials have said the ceasefire is holding. Now mediators Egypt, the US, Turkey and Qatar are focused on the next steps, including the monitoring of the ceasefire and the disarmament of Hamas.

Aid has started entering Gaza since the ceasefire began, but not enough of it, according to the UN. Reuters

“Right now, we don't have real monitors, so we hear accusations from both sides,” Ms Kallas said. “That is why it is important to get this United Nations resolution regarding the stabilisation force, so that there is a stabilisation force on the ground that is really keeping the truce.”

Crucial to Hamas's withdrawal is the deployment of an international stabilisation force, which hinges on a draft resolution to be tabled in the coming days at the UN Security Council by France, the UK and the US.

Egypt has said it would participate in the force only if it is backed by a UN mandate. Cairo will host a conference expected to clarify Gaza's reconstruction and governing next month, and the Egyptian government also wants the US to lead the mission and involve Turkey.

Future governing of Gaza should be operated by a group of technocratic Palestinians, according to Mr Trump's 20-point plan. It would work under the supervision of an international body named the “board of peace”, with members including former UK prime minister Tony Blair.

When asked about that by The National, Ms Kallas said she had met Mr Blair before the Gaza crisis but declined to elaborate on more recent meetings. “We have been in touch,” she said. “During the summer, I just finished his book, the latest one,” she added, a reference to On Leadership, which gives advice to political leaders.

Ms Kallas's bid for appointment to Mr Trump's board has the backing of EU states, though the larger European states are also eyeing a seat. Reaching a “sustainable peace” is important both for the Middle East and Europe, Ms Kallas said. “It’s a big worry, so I think it’s important we all combine our thoughts and resources to get this on the right track.”

There have been technical discussions with states involved in setting up the ceasefire monitoring mission about working with European training missions of Palestinian border guards, police and judges. “At the technical level, the work is really ongoing,” Ms Kallas said. The bloc's exact role, as well as active players alongside the US, Qatar and Turkey, is expected to be clarified at the upcoming conference in Egypt.