The EU envoy Sven Koopmans wants to see a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to a Palestinian state.
In an interview with the AFP news agency, Koopmans says that Netanyahu's government cannot continue to ignore the EU's view on the war in Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister is a staunch opponent to the creation of a Palestinian state.
It means that he (Netanyahu) now has a different viewpoint than what large parts of the world have, says Koopmans, who is the EU's special representative for the peace process in the Middle East.
The Dutch diplomat says that Israel's rejection of "the solution we see as necessary" does not mean that efforts for a two-state solution should cease.
Last month, the EU invited Israel to discuss Gaza and human rights. Israel agreed to a meeting after July 1, when Hungary, which supports Netanyahu's government, took over the EU presidency.
Koopmans tells AFP that it is "completely unacceptable" that thousands of trucks with aid shipments are waiting outside the border to Gaza. He also expressed concern over violence from Israeli settlers on the occupied West Bank, and said that some of the attacks constitute "terrorism".
