The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday, January 22 insisted on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, as he told Israel it could not build peace "only by military means" ahead of talks with Israeli and Palestinian diplomats.

The EU's 27 foreign ministers are set to hold separate meetings in Brussels with their counterparts from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and key Arab states.

Borrell repeated the condemnation from the United Nations of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "unacceptable" rejection of calls for a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza. "What we want to do is to build a two-state solution. So let's talk about it," Borrell said.

He told Israel that "peace and stability cannot be built only by military means". "Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill them off?" Borrell said.

Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on October 7, and the subsequent devastating military response from Israel has plunged the Middle East into fresh turmoil and sparked fears of a broader conflict.

But while the bloodshed appears to have driven a long-term solution further out of sight, EU officials insist now is the time to talk about finally resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The bloc has struggled for a united stance on the conflict in Gaza, as staunch backers of Israel such as Germany have rejected demands for an immediate ceasefire made by Spain and Ireland.

EU officials have sketched out broad conditions for "the day after" the current war ends in Gaza, calling for no long-term Israeli occupation, an end to Hamas rule and a role for the Palestinian Authority in running the territory.