He could have spent his time better, being more concerned about the security of his country and the high number of deaths in Gaza.” The head of European diplomacy, High Commissioner Josep Borrell, did not like the approach of Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to the meeting with EU ministers in Brussels. Among other things at the table There was also the question of the future of the Strip. But Katz would confine himself to talking about his government’s plan to create an artificial island off the coast of Gaza. What to do? Herein lies the mystery and reason for Borrell’s (and not only his) disappointment.
According to some sources close to the discussions, Katz raised the possibility of transferring Palestinians to this island. Hypothesis denied by Tel Aviv: “As the State Department underlined in a memo, it never said such a thing and there are no such plans.” The ministry stated that the artificial island will be used to control the entry of goods into the Strip. According to another EU source, Katz would say that the project (already mooted in 2017 but never started) would also aim to host a seawater “desalination plant”.
Whatever the truth (the meeting was behind closed doors), the fact remains that Borrell and the ministers of the countries calling for an immediate end to Israel’s raids on the Strip would have preferred Katz to get into the substance of the meeting’s subject. namely the 10-point plan presented by Borrell to end the conflict in the Strip and ensure the establishment of a Palestinian state. A plan that runs counter to the intentions of the most right-wing parties in the Tel Aviv government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has recently opposed the “Palestinian sovereignty” hypothesis.
This is probably why Katz chose to evade the plan and present himself with two videos that stunned EU ministers. High Commissioner Borrell did not mince words at the press conference, saying that Katz “showed us two videos that have nothing to do with what we are discussing.” We had the pleasure of watching two very interesting videos: one was about an artificial project. I understand that the island is supposed to serve as a port. “The other is on some projects for the construction of a railway line that will connect the Middle East to India,” he said. Borrell said that this last project is also continuing ironically: “It seemed very interesting to us, but the security of his country and the high number of deaths in Gaza “I believe the minister could use his time better by worrying about the issue,” he concluded.
Palestinian National Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Al Malk, who was not invited to the meeting in Brussels, said in a harsher tone: “Are you going to expel people from Gaza? Kill them all? Israel has been inciting hatred for generations,” he accused. “We do not need either a natural or artificial island, we will stay in our country,” he said.
Source: Today IT

Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.