The EU envoy to the Middle East peace process, Sven Koopmans, presents a novel concept for reviving the peace process in the Middle East, through what he calls “reverse engineering for peace“.
He imagines the day when peace is achieved between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and the resulting interests of the various parties in the region and the world.
In an interview with the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Koopmans said that the peace process in the Middle East needs energy, creative ideas, and courageous people, expressing the European Union’s support for the Arab initiative adopted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia nearly 20 years ago.
The European envoy, who is visiting Riyadh, pointed out that building more Israeli settlements negatively affects reaching a peaceful solution, considering it “illegal and contrary to international law.” Koopmans also spoke about the ongoing efforts to revive the peace process during many international conflicts, on top of which is the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Sven Koopmans explained that his visit to Saudi Arabia focused on discussing common goals regarding reviving the peace process in the Middle East, noting that “everyone needs to work towards establishing an independent Palestinian state that lives in freedom and security.”
“As a representative of the European Union, I am pleased to say that we have supported the Arab peace initiative since its launch. Now, we support it and would like to see it succeed.” He said.
