Brussels, October 16th, 2025 – After a historic week in the Middle East with the release of all the remaining living Israeli hostages from Gaza and the signing of a Gaza Peace Plan in Sharm El Sheikh on Monday night ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell summed up the events of the last few days in the ECI talk show European Report on Wednesday by calling it “a new 1989 moment.”
US President Donald Trump and Egyptian host President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were joined by some thirty world leaders from around the world as they signed the Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity. In a unique press conference following the signing, government leaders from troubled conflict regions such as Armenia and Azerbaijan were given prominence whereas the role of major European powers like France and Britain, who had been at the forefront of the ambitious New York declaration for a two-state solution, were mostly ignored.
Commenting on the Peace Plan in Brussels on Wednesday Sandell noted that “this unconventional peace process is an important lesson for the European Union and its member states who since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 have been the single largest donor to the Palestinian Authority and have poured in tens of billions into the Palestinian economy while failing to prevent the radicalisation which led to the October 7 massacre. By ignoring the mismanagement and corruption of the Palestinian Authority for decades combined with the ongoing indoctrination of Palestinian children with hate education and incitement to violence, the prospect for peace and co-existence grew dimmer for each year. As the international community looks at rebuilding Gaza it must learn from these fatal mistakes by establishing a new school curriculum which deradicalizes the youth and prepares them for peace and co-existence. As John F Kennedy once stated, “Peace does not rest in charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people.”
In an October 7 commemoration event in the European Parliament on Tuesday night Saudi peace advocate and social media influencer Loay Alshareef openly criticized the French and the British governments for rewarding terrorism by pushing for an unconditional and irreversible pathway for a Palestinian state. He warned European leaders against the Muslim Brotherhood which is operating freely in Europe while they are banned in most of the Arab world. Banning extreme Islamic organisations is not Islamophobic, he said, it is common sense. He also criticized the misuse of the word ‘Islamophobia’. The West needs to learn the difference between anti-Muslim bigotry, which is racist, and criticism of the ideology of radical Islam, which is completely legitimate. Speaking at the commemoration event just one day after the Peace Summit in Sharm El Sheikh he was hopeful that this could mark a new dawn for peace and co-existence in the Middle East.
The official European reaction to the Gaza Peace Plan will come to a test on Monday, 20th October, when the Foreign Ministers of the EU member states will meet for an important Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg where the EU proposals of suspending certain trade benefits with Israel and political sanctions will be discussed.
In a closing statement in Brussels on Wednesday Tomas Sandell called upon the European Union “to learn from decades of failed policies in relation to the Palestinian Authority in order not to be sidelined at this historic 1989 moment. The European Union is a critical partner in the implementation of Trump’s 20 Point Peace plan but in order to remain relevant in this process the EU should refrain from giving into antisemitic sentiments in Europe by threatening Israel with sanctions.
To watch the whole 27-minute European Report talk show from the studio of the European Parliament in Brussels please click here.
