European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas warned on Thursday of a growing disconnect between international diplomatic pledges to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel and the deteriorating conditions across Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Speaking at a meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Kallas stated that while global diplomatic support for a two-state framework remains broad, physical conditions on the ground are moving in the opposite direction. She noted that the overarching ambitions of the international coalition and the principles articulated in the New York Declaration are increasingly at odds with regional realities.
Deteriorating Conditions in Gaza and the West Bank
Addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Kallas observed that operational progress remains far too limited. She highlighted that ongoing military strikes, severe humanitarian shortfalls, and acute resource deficits persist despite multiple international diplomatic initiatives, failing to deliver tangible operational improvements for Palestinian civilians.
In the West Bank, the foreign policy chief pointed to rising levels of violence and ongoing settlement expansion as critical factors directly eroding the physical viability of a contiguous, sovereign Palestinian state. She called on participating nations to act decisively to align international commitments with actionable steps on the ground.
Support for Palestinian Authority Governance and Regional Recovery
Despite broader security challenges, Kallas acknowledged that the Palestinian Authority has enacted internal administrative reforms under extremely difficult operational conditions, emphasizing that these institutional updates must continue.
She confirmed that the European Union maintains its commitment to supporting preparations for Palestinian legislative elections to bolster democratic governance. Furthermore, Kallas outlined ongoing European Union initiatives aimed at maintaining economic sustainability and political stability in the West Bank while preparing structural plans to support early recovery and reconstruction efforts across Gaza.
