European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday that Israel financed the creation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, publicly contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has rejected such claims.
Opponents of the Israeli government and part of the world media have accused Netanyahu’s governments of empowering Hamas for years, including by allowing Qatari funding of the Gaza Strip.
“Yes, Hamas has been funded by Israeli governments in an attempt to weaken the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority,” the EU’s foreign and security chief said during a speech at Valladolid University.
Borrell said there that the creation of a Palestinian state is the only solution that leads to peace.
“We believe that only a two-state solution imposed from outside would lead to peace, even though Israel insists otherwise,” he said.
Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, after a brief war against forces loyal to Fatah, the West Bank-based movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel has criticized a number of countries, including Borrell’s Spain, which calls for an independent Palestine, claiming they show sympathy for Hamas.
