Senior diplomats from the European Union met in Brussels on Monday with Nikolay Mladenov, director of the Board of Peace, following the bloc’s uneasy reaction to Donald Trump’s initiative to oversee reconstruction efforts in war-torn Gaza. Mladenov held talks with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and ministers from across the 27-member bloc, who also planned to review the Ukraine conflict and potential new sanctions on Russia.
"We want to be part of the peace process in Gaza and also contribute with what we have,” Kallas said ahead of the meeting. Afterward, she said Mladenov updated diplomats on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the Board of Peace's activities and strategy, which included an EU presence in stabilization and humanitarian efforts.
"It was good to hear from Mladenov that it’s really right now trying to improve the situation, that he sees this in the same way, that actually they also need us there contributing," Kallas said.
One EU nation blocked new sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers agreed by the rest of the bloc, she said, without naming the holdout. The EU's planned training of Palestinian police in Gaza is awaiting approval by Israel, Kallas said.
Just across the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle East, the EU has deep links to Israel and the Palestinians. It now plays a crucial oversight role at Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and is the top donor to the Palestinian Authority.
