European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica discussed the European Union’s relationship with Israel, regional stability, and Gaza recovery efforts with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday, the commissioner announced.
On Gaza, “I focused on the urgent need to advance early recovery,” she said, adding that “our continued cooperation is key to delivering early recovery projects on the ground.”
The EU has criticized Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza while reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself. It has also criticized Israel’s expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, viewed by the EU as an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
But the EU’s 27 member states are divided, with some highly critical of Israel and others maintaining close ties.
Sa’ar said in June that he was severing “all contact” with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas over what he said were remarks attributed to her comparing Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.