EU's Kallas warns two-state ambitions at odds with Gaza, West Bank realities

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned on Thursday that international ambitions for a two-state solution are growing increasingly disconnected from the "hard realities" in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Speaking in Geneva, she told participants that progress in the coastal enclave remains "far too limited" despite sustained diplomatic attention.

Kallas noted that continued strikes and acute humanitarian needs persist without tangible improvements for Palestinians. She emphasized that while international support for a Palestinian state remains strong diplomatically, conditions on the ground continue moving in the opposite direction.

West Bank violence and settlements

In the occupied West Bank, the EU's top diplomat highlighted ongoing violence and settlement expansion as factors undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state. "The ambition of our global alliance and indeed the New York Declaration is increasingly at odds with the hard realities on the ground," Kallas said.

She warned that settlement activity threatens to render the two-state solution impossible without immediate corrective measures. Kallas urged countries to "close the gap between commitments and actions and realities on the ground," stressing that diplomatic consensus must translate into concrete pressure.

Palestinian Authority reforms

Kallas noted that the Palestinian Authority has advanced reforms despite extremely difficult circumstances, adding that these efforts should continue. The EU supports preparations for Palestinian legislative elections as part of broader institutional strengthening.

Brussels is working to bolster West Bank stability and economic sustainability alongside early recovery programs in Gaza. These initiatives form part of the European Union's strategy to preserve the two-state framework amid deteriorating conditions across the occupied territories.