Lawmaker Jordi Solé has launched a cross-party group at the European Parliament advancing a two-state solution as the best way to ensure peace and stability between Israel and Palestine

The group of "MEPs for Peace in the Middle East" was inspired by a visit to Israel and Palestine last June by Mr Solé as part of his duties on the European Parliament Committee on Human Rights. "When we returned from the mission, we were aware that the situation on the ground was unsustainable: on the one hand, the occupied territories were like a pressure cooker about to explode, with no hope for a better future on the Palestinian side other than desperation before the policies of occupation and the lack of trust with their leadership; and on the other side, in Israel, there was mistrust towards the Palestinians, and no desire to change the status quo. We could not imagine the atrocity that Hamas committed on October 7: an unjustifiable massacre of innocent civilians that unfortunately has led to another massacre of innocent civilians by Israel. That is why, with our initiative, we want to constitute a cross-party group of MEPs who say enough is enough before this never-ending spiral of violence between Israelis and Palestinians,” explained Mr Solé.

Five months after the war broke out, the founding manifesto of the initiative, which Mr Solé has advanced along with three of the lawmakers who went with him to the Middle East – Socialist Maria Arena and Liberals Bernard Guetta and Soraya Rodríguez – has already been signed by fifty MEPs. "There will never be peace between the two peoples without an independent and viable Palestinian state able to exist alongside the state of Israel, with security assured," said the lawmaker.

For this reason, the objective of this cross-party group of MEPs is that the European Parliament, which has always been highly divided in the face of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, "may raise a clear voice in favour of peace in the region and call for talks on a two-state solution to restart; to work to coordinate international efforts with the United States and the Arab countries; and to push the EU to use all the mechanisms available to make the two parties sit down, negotiate, agree and make peace, based on international resolutions."

Among the forthcoming actions by the "MEPs for Peace in the Middle East" group are meetings to coordinate efforts in favour of the two-state solution, one with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, and another with United States Senators and House Representatives.