During her official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola made history as the first European leader to enter Gaza in over ten years. She’s meeting with political leaders in the region this Thursday and Friday.
Recently, she’s been focused on pushing for peace and stability in the Middle East, having chatted with various leaders from Israel, Palestine, Arab countries, and U.S. representatives. Some key meetings included talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and the Palestinian Prime Minister in Brussels. She also had conversations with the Israeli Foreign Minister and the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker.
“At this critical moment for the region and the world, I wanted to come here to underline and witness first hand Europe’s critical role in getting humanitarian aid into Gaza. Europe is ready to step up our engagement and do what we can to help the ceasefire-hostages release deal to hold, to provide a path to increased aid and a building block to a sustainable peace”, said President Metsola.
On 18 January, the European Parliament took a firm stand by calling for the immediate release of all hostages, the dismantling of Hamas, and a renewed focus on the two-state solution and peace talks. During her visit, President Metsola stressed Europe’s commitment to working with all regional partners, ensuring that the current ceasefire and hostage deal stay intact and paving the way for a lasting peace that provides security for Israel and genuine hope for the Palestinian people.
On Thursday, she met with Amir Ohana, the Speaker of the Knesset, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Jerusalem. She also checked out the Kerem Shalom Border Crossing Point to observe humanitarian efforts. After that, she entered Gaza, a significant move for a European leader in over a decade, where she witnessed humanitarian aid coming in from Israel. She highlighted the EU’s key role in humanitarian efforts in Gaza, mainly through the EUBAM operation, and showed commitment to the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal.
After returning to Israel, President Metsola was updated by the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing (EUBAM Rafah) about their ongoing work to support humanitarian aid. She also visited the site of the Nova Festival in Re’im. Later today, she was set to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
On Friday, she’ll head to Ramallah to engage with the Palestinian leadership, including Mr Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, and Ms Reem Al Hajajra, Director of Women of the Sun, who is also a nominee for the 2024 Sakharov Prize.
