Watan-On Tuesday, Amal Jadou, the Palestinian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union, presented her official credentials to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
This is the first time a Palestinian ambassador has presented credentials to such high-ranking EU officials. Previously, Palestinian credentials were only submitted to lower-level representatives.
The ceremony took place at the Europa building in Brussels, headquarters of the European Council, and was attended by senior officials from the EU Council Secretariat, the European Commission, and the European External Action Service.
EU Deepens Palestinian Ties Amid Outcry Over Israel’s War on Gaza
Jadou described the event as a “historic diplomatic precedent” and a “major step forward in formalizing diplomatic relations between the State of Palestine and the European Union.”
A brief reception followed, with heads of EU institutions and high-level officials expressing support for enhanced dialogue and cooperation on political, economic, and humanitarian issues.
This milestone follows Jadou’s earlier diplomatic milestones:
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October 2024: Submitted preliminary credentials to Belgium’s Foreign Ministry.
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November 26, 2024: Presented official credentials to King Philippe of Belgium, becoming the first Palestinian ambassador to do so.
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November 29, 2024: Submitted credentials to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
The formalization of these ties comes at a time of intensifying European opposition to Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, with urgent calls for humanitarian aid access.
During a joint press conference on Monday, von der Leyen reiterated that the EU supports the Palestinian Authority and the two-state solution, demanding an immediate lifting of the siege on Gaza and warning against the politicization of humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, European Council President António Costa urged the international community to act collectively to implement the two-state solution, calling it “the only viable path to lasting peace.”
Israel’s War on Gaza Defies Global Law, Leaves Over 175,000 Palestinians Dead or Wounded
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has carried out a U.S.-backed war of annihilation in Gaza, involving mass killing, displacement, destruction, and starvation—despite global appeals and binding International Court of Justice orders to cease hostilities.
The war has killed or wounded more than 175,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, with over 11,000 missing and hundreds of thousands forcibly displaced.
For decades, Israel has occupied Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese territory, refusing to withdraw or allow the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital based on pre-1967 borders.
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