Israeli minister rebuked by top EU diplomat over artificial island idea

The EU’s High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, criticised Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Monday for wasting the time of the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers during a meeting to discuss the war in Gaza.

Mr Katz showed the ministers videos of “an artificial island” and “building a railway linking up the Middle East with India”, Mr Borrell said at a media briefing after 10 hours of talks with Arab and EU diplomats.

“I think that the minister could have made better use of his time and focus on the security of his country, bearing in mind the high number of deaths in Gaza,” he said.

“The minister showed us very little, if nothing, to do with the proposal we were discussing.”

The rift between Israel and the West on the region’s future has become increasingly apparent in recent days, with the US and the EU voicing disappointment at comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting Palestinian statehood.

During talks on Monday, Middle East and EU foreign ministers discussed a peace plan put forward by the EU’s external action service, led by Mr Borrell. It includes a Palestinian state, security guarantees for Israel and full normalisation of ties with Arab states.

Mr Katz and the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki held separate meetings with EU ministers and did not meet in person.

Mr Katz did not address the possibility of a Palestinian state to the media.

Holding pictures of Israeli hostages in Gaza, including one-year-old baby Kfir Bibas, he said Israeli soldiers were fighting in the enclave with two goals, “to bring back our hostages and restore security for citizens of Israel”.

Israel’s apparent lack of interest in the EU’s proposal may pose challenges for future discussions, said Mr Borrell.

“If Israel doesn’t want that solution it’s going to be difficult to take part in discussions to build that solution, but that doesn’t stop everybody else from doing it,” he said.

“If that proposal isn’t agreed, then there is some leverage, but we’re still in the early stages.”

The EU has been deeply divided over the Gaza war, with some countries, including Germany, opposing calls for a ceasefire supported by others such as France and Belgium.

Mr Borrell gave few details of Mr Katz’s proposed artificial

Israel’s apparent lack of interest in the EU’s peace proposal may pose challenges for future talks, Borrell said

island, saying only that it was “some kind of port”.

Mr Katz is known to have suggested building an artificial island off Gaza before. A 2017 report by the Times of Israel said he had been raising the idea for years.

His proposal involves building a $5 billion island over 534 hectares, which would remain under Israeli security control and provide Gaza with essential services.

Mr Al Maliki also rejected the plan on Monday amid reports it involved the displacement of Palestinians to the island.

“The land of Palestine is ours and we will remain there,” he said. “Those who had the idea” may go and live on the island if they wished, he added.

Several EU ministers criticised Mr Netanyahu’s dismissal of a two-state solution.

“Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill them off?” Mr Borrell asked.

“From now on, I will not talk about the peace process, but about the two-state solution process. We are serious about that.”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: “The two-state solution is the only solution, and even those who don’t want to know about it have not yet come up with any other alternative.”