EU Vice President Kaya Kallas insists two-state solution is only path to peace as settlements row deepens

Kaya Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission, has responded to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s recent criticism of her stance on Israel, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to constructive relations with the country. In a statement released Thursday, Kallas said she “always remains committed to building relations with Israel and appreciates dialogue and engagement” with the country’s leadership.

However, Kallas reiterated the European Union’s long-standing position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasising that a two-state solution remains “the only viable path” to achieving peace in the Middle East. She was responding to Sa’ar’s decision to sever ties with her following previous remarks about Israeli settlement policy.

The EU official specifically pointed to Israeli settlements in the West Bank as a significant obstacle to peace negotiations. Kallas stated that “illegal settlements in the West Bank make it harder to achieve the goal” of establishing a sustainable peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. Her comments represent the EU’s broader frustration with settlement expansion, which Brussels and most international actors view as an impediment to the two-state framework that has underpinned peace efforts for decades.

The exchange highlights the ongoing tensions between Israel’s government and European leadership over settlement policy and the direction of peace efforts in the region. While Kallas emphasised the EU’s desire for strong bilateral relations with Israel, the bloc continues to maintain that Israeli settlement expansion in occupied Palestinian territories contradicts international law and undermines prospects for a negotiated resolution to the conflict.

Source: Walla News — Original article in Hebrew.