Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) September 23, 2026 – European Council President Antonio Costa warned during a high-level United Nations General Assembly event that ongoing developments in the occupied West Bank, including de facto annexation, are severely endangering the viability of the two-state solution. Speaking on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session, Costa emphasised that daily incidents involving settler violence, community displacement, and illegal settlements require urgent international action to preserve the path toward sustainable regional peace.
The remarks delivered by the European Council president underscore growing international concern over the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Addressing delegates at a high-level event focused on the two-state solution and a comprehensive peace plan for Gaza, Costa stated that foundational components for regional stability are continuously eroding.
Escalating Pressures on the Occupied West Bank
During his address, the European Council president outlined the daily realities faced by populations in the occupied territories, specifically mentioning the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He noted that the prospect of a two-state solution is being undermined on a regular basis through systemic actions that alter the geographical and political landscape.
According to Costa, the international community receives daily reports and visual evidence documenting continuous structural pressures in the region. These documented concerns include widespread settler violence, a prevailing climate of impunity, the forced displacement of entire local communities, and the advancement of de facto annexation processes.
Reiterating the official legal stance of the European Union, Costa stressed that all Israeli settlements established in the occupied territories remain entirely illegal under international law. He asserted that these measures directly obstruct the implementation of a viable, independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security.
Calls for Palestinian Authority Legitimacy and Elections
In addition to addressing territorial expansion and settlement activities, the European Council president emphasized the necessity of internal political revitalisation within the Palestinian governance structure. Costa called for renewed democratic legitimacy for the Palestinian Authority through transparent national elections.
He confirmed that the European Union strongly supports the holding of such elections and formally called upon Israeli authorities to facilitate the electoral process without interference. Costa argued that empowering the Palestinian population through democratic participation is an essential component of addressing broader structural crises.
Furthermore, the EU Council chief noted that the international community, working in tandem with the Palestinian Authority, holds a responsibility to provide younger generations with tangible prospects and renewed hope for a different future. Without concerted diplomatic and political engagement, he suggested that the foundational framework required for long-term peace would remain out of reach.
International Diplomatic Context at the United Nations General Assembly
Costa’s intervention took place alongside numerous high-level diplomatic discussions concerning the wider Middle East conflict, including ongoing humanitarian and security frameworks for Gaza. World leaders gathered at United Nations headquarters have increasingly focused on intersecting crises across the region, balancing immediate humanitarian requirements with long-term political resolution mechanisms.
The European Union has consistently maintained that unilateral actions by any party—including settlement expansion, land appropriations, and measures altering the status of Jerusalem—run counter to international legal frameworks and resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council. The warnings delivered by the European Council president reinforce these positions as international bodies deliberate on effective strategies to revive stalled diplomatic negotiations.
Concluding his remarks, Costa reiterated that immediate, practical steps are required from global stakeholders to halt negative ground developments. He stressed that preserving the two-state solution demands collective accountability and strict adherence to international legal norms to secure a stable and peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis.
