A prominent European Union official has publicly criticized Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz for derailing a crucial meeting meant to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza with an “irrelevant” infrastructure pitch.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, one of the bloc’s most senior officials, told reporters on Monday that Katz had interjected in the meeting with a proposal to build an artificial island off of Gaza’s coast—making crystal clear his view that the high-stakes summit was not the time or place for an infrastructure pitch.
“We had had the pleasure of watching two very interesting videos,” the senior EU official said in remarks on Monday. “This didn’t have much to do with what we were discussing. I think the minister could have made better use of his time to worry about the security of his country and the high number of deaths in the Middle East and the high death toll in Gaza.”
The pitch, according to Borrell, included two videos: one promoting a plan for the artificial island—meant to serve as a commercial hub—and another initiative focused on a rail infrastructure project linking Gaza with the West Bank. Both were almost entirely unrelated to the purpose of the meeting, the official said.
Katz, who assumed the role of Israel’s foreign affairs minister earlier this month, had previously marketed the artificial island project in his former position as transport minister in 2017. His bid to resurrect the concept appeared to have landed flat on Monday, with one diplomatic source telling Euronews that other EU ministers present at the meeting were “perplexed” by his pitch. Another source told the Guardian: “Ministers ignored it [the pitch] and went ahead with what they were there to talk about. Nobody engaged with it.”
Earlier reports suggested that the proposal may be part of a wider plan to relocate Palestinians to the island, with one Israeli official saying the initiative could include housing for Gazans, according to The New York Times. A Guardian report also cited sources who claimed that Katz suggested Palestinians be moved to the island, raising alarm. Israel’s foreign ministry denied the report, telling The Times of Israel that “there is no such plan.”
The summit comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial statements rejecting the concept of a Palestinian state, doubling down on his intentions to keep the war going.
That didn’t stop Borrell from making the EU’s position on the matter clear:
"The member states have all told [Katz], of course, that they believe that the solution for a permanent and lasting peace that guarantees Israel's security comes about with the creation of a Palestinian state,” he said, adding: “We will not accept anything less than a cease-fire.”