Kaja Kallas
@kajakallas · World leaders & international officials
Kaja Kallas is the EU's High Representative for foreign affairs.
The UK and 11 other countries today announced their support for trade sanctions targeting illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. All EU Member States agree that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. The Israeli Government’s settlement expansions in the West Bank are undermining the prospects for a viable two-State solution. The EU remains the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank. We remain firmly committed to supporting a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-State solution, with two states living side-by-side in peace within secure and recognised borders.
The Israeli authorities' decision to extend the mandates of the EU’s two CSDP missions in Rafah and the West Bank until the end of June 2027 is an important step after months of diplomatic negotiations. I thank the EEAS and involved Member States for their determined work in securing these extensions. The missions have a clear purpose: to help make crossings safer and more effective, support Palestinian police, and contribute to stability in the region. Our CSDP missions continue to work with all interlocutors to fulfil their mandates. They respond to concrete needs on the Palestinian side and remain an important part of the EU’s engagement on the ground. The EU will continue to support the Gaza Peace Plan, endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2803.