HH The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, speaking at a meeting with European Union leaders in Brussels, Belgium, called for urgent ceasefires to Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon. He also stressed the importance of establishing a separate Palestinian state.

The 27-nation EU is seeking to work more closely with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in addressing conflicts in both the Middle East and Ukraine.

شاركت اليوم في القمة الخليجية الأوروبية الأولى التي تنعقد تجسيداً للعلاقات التاريخية الوطيدة بين بلداننا ومصالحهما المتبادلة. هذه المناسبة الدولية الهامة نتطلع لأن تمثل نقطة تحول في مسيرة علاقاتنا عبر استثمار آليات التعاون القائمة أو تطويرها بما يتماشى مع آفاق التعاون الواعدة… pic.twitter.com/J9LBC9uN3o

— تميم بن حمد (@TamimBinHamad) October 16, 2024

During his opening remarks at the first EU-GCC summit on Wednesday, Sheikh Tamim spoke about the need to create a ‘sovereign and independent’ Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel. He also called for a ceasefire in Israel’s current wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

“The destructive war waged by Israel on Palestine and Lebanon made war crimes as something normal. That’s something we cannot accept. We need a settlement for these conflicts. We need to find a solution to the Palestinian cause on the basis of international legitimacy and of the 1967 borders … A ceasefire would be a first step before a serious round of negotiations for a definite solution to the Palestinian cause,” he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

The summit is happening more than a year after Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Palestinian group Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 people and capturing another 250 as hostages.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 42,400 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities, and displaced more than 90% of the territory’s 2.3m residents.

Meanwhile, Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has been exchanging cross-border fire with Israel for more than a year, saying it is acting in response to Israel’s devastating ground and air assault on Gaza.

From the speech of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al- Thani, the Amir of Qatar, at the first summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/W2vCMCoV46

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) October 16, 2024

Israel’s military last month drastically escalated the fighting with Hezbollah, targeting several senior leaders in the organisation, expanding Israel’s bombardment across Lebanon, and sending ground troops into the country’s south.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned against an escalation of the war in the Middle East and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel on October 7 have fundamentally undermined regional security in Europe and the Gulf,” she said.

“We need to do all in our power and mobilise all our diplomatic skills to stop the extremely dangerous escalation with now Iran launching a massive ballistic attack against Israel, or Houthis attacking our ships,” she added.

The presence of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – confirmed at the last minute – heightened expectations about the push from GCC for a two-state solution.

“The year 2002 was the date when the Saudis launched the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for all the Arab nations to recognise Israel in exchange for Israelis accepting an independent Palestinian state, [the] same statement reiterated by the emir of Qatar,” said Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, who is reporting from the summit.

Talks at the summit are also expected to touch on trade and investment cooperations and visa liberalisation.

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