Israel’s FM Gideon Sa’ar meets EU officials in Brussels amid tensions over Gaza war

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar traveled to Brussels for a number of high-level meetings with European Union (EU) officials and various foreign ministers.

“Sa’ar is scheduled to take part in a ministerial meeting between the European Union and representatives from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA),” as well as conducting “a series of bilateral meetings with foreign ministers on the sidelines of the gathering,” the Jewish News Syndicate reported.

The first meeting is expected to take place Monday evening.

Among the foreign ministers invited to the meeting in Brussels is Syria’s Assad Hassan al-Shaibani.

Though both foreign ministers plan to attend the Monday evening meeting, The Times of Israel reported that no direct meetings between Sa’ar and Al-Shaibani are planned, citing a spokesperson for Sa’ar.

Sa’ar was invited by the European Commission’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica.

Though Kallas has condemned Hamas action’s on Oct. 7, 2023, she has also criticized the magnitude of Israel’s response, saying it “is causing unbearable uncertainty for the hostages and their families and is likewise causing horror and death for the Palestinian people.”

Kallas has also developed a list of ten options for responding to Israel’s war in Gaza, as many EU nations believe Israel has gone too far.

Euronews reported that the “ten options for action include suspending visa free travel and blocking imports from the Jewish settlements in response to Israel’s breach of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.”

They further noted, however, that there is currently “little appetite across the EU to take any action against Tel Aviv.”