As the tides of outright support wane, voices within Europe and the European Union are mounting pressure on Israel to stop its occupation of Palestine and put an end to the humanitarian crises in Gaza.

The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs has publicly denounced rhetoric by Israel’s Prime Minister, vowing to prevent the establishment of a liberated Palestinian state.

In a press statement given at the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, Stéphane Séjourné said, “The recent statements by Benjamin Netanyahu are concerning.”

In response to the Israeli Prime Minister’s rhetoric, the French diplomat said, “There needs to be a state for Palestinians – not an endless occupation.”

Séjourné also told reporters in Brussels that this will guarantee security for all people in the region.

During a press statement on Sunday, Netanyahu remarked that through his years-long efforts and insistence, the establishment of a Palestinian state has been prevented.

“As long as I am Prime Minister, I will continue to strongly insist on this,” he added.

The Israeli leader also insisted that full security meant control of all territory west of the River Jordan.

This violent expansionism has so far seen the death toll in Gaza soar to at least 25,295 people since October 7.

It is also estimated that Israel’s air, land and sea offensives have left 63,000 Palestinians wounded.

According to Netanyahu’s statement on Sunday, the bloodshed will continue in his bid to “completely destroy Hamas,” despite domestic and international pressure mounting on his war cabinet to reinstate a ceasefire. 

Pressure from the EU

A meeting was convened by the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday to discuss the worsening humanitarian crises in Gaza.

In attendance was Palestine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad Al Maliki.

Al Maliki’s Saudi, Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts were also at the meeting – namely, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Ayman Safadi and Sameh Shoukry.

Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, also attended the session.

The 27 EU ministers and their regional partners stressed the urgent priority of tackling the deteriorating situation in Gaza.

According to an impact report published on Monday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 2.2 million people in Gaza are at imminent risk of famine.

Meanwhile, the enclave’s health sector is on the brink of collapse, with just 16 out of 36 centres accepting patients. Yet, these hospitals are only partially functional amid critical shortages of medicines, medical supplies, blood products and fuel, UN OCHA reported.

During a press remarks upon his arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said these conditions are unsurvivable for Palestinians.

“The humanitarian situation. There are no words to explain how the situation is, with hundreds of thousands without anything — without shelter, without food, without medicines, and under the bombs,” he added.

Later, at Monday’s meeting, Borrell urged Katz and his country to instead adopt peaceful, rather than confrontational solutions.

“More death, destruction and hardship for the Palestinian people will not […] bring more security to Israel, on the contrary,” Borrell said.

As such, discussions of a “post-war Gaza” were also on the meeting’s agenda to roadmap a regional peace plan.