Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi called on Tuesday for an immediate ceasefire between the Palestinians and the Israelis in light of the continued Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.

He also called, at the beginning of a Gulf-European meeting in Muscat, for the release of prisoners on both sides and adherence to international humanitarian law. He stressed addressing the causes of violence between the two parties, and said, “Until the suffering of the Palestinians is properly resolved in accordance with international law, we will not witness peace.”

Meanwhile, Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign affairs official, stressed that the "two-state solution" is the way to achieve progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling on the international community to work to find a settlement based on this principle.

The final statement of the meeting of the 27th session of the Joint Ministerial Council between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union, which was read by Borrell, expressed concern about the events in Israel, condemned everything that is happening against civilians, and called for allowing water and food to enter the Gaza Strip.

The Omani minister said at the opening of the joint meeting between the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union in Muscat: “I speak for all of us in calling for restraint, an immediate ceasefire, the release of prisoners on both sides, and adherence to international humanitarian law.” He added, “But the cause of this violence and extremism is what needs to be addressed, and unless there is a solution to the plight and suffering of the Palestinians in accordance with international law, we will not see lasting peace.”

Al Busaidi stressed that “the two-state solution is the only and best way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.” He pointed out that the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union agreed on the importance of restraint, de-escalation, and the release of civilians detained by all parties. He said: “We are committed to urgently supporting efforts to start a new and meaningful dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis for peace.”

Borrell: Towards solutions to the crisis

For his part, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, stressed the need to unite efforts to defuse the crisis between Israel and the Palestinians.

Prior to the European-Gulf meeting, Borrell said via his account on the “X” platform that it is also necessary to “work to find long-term solutions to the crisis.”

In his speech at the meeting, Borrell stated that the world is witnessing “tragic moments in the history of the Middle East with the escalation of violence between the Palestinian and Israeli sides and the implications of this escalation on the possibility of the two peoples living side by side in peace and security.”

He pointed to the European Union's cooperation with the League of Arab States to find a joint initiative to help revitalize the two-state solution. Noting that this effort cannot replace a real negotiation process between the two parties, and everyone must actively participate to overcome the current impasse.

He stressed the need to seize the opportunity provided by the European-Gulf meeting to explore ways to do everything possible to defuse the ongoing crisis and to look beyond the current day.

The European Union foreign affairs official said: “Although peace now seems much further today than it was a few days ago, and although the chances of peace negotiations seem remote at this stage, they remain the only way to reach a long-term solution that achieves peace and security for the two peoples.” He added: “We in the European Union still believe that the way to achieve progress is the two-state solution.”

He went on to say: “It may be difficult to achieve, but we cannot imagine any other solution, and we look forward to working with our main partners to this end, and to building on what we started in New York last month. Perhaps this development and the lives lost represent a wake-up call for the international community to end this problem and actually engage in the search for a solution to it.”