A high-level S&D delegation, led by President, Iratxe García, travels to the Middle East – Egypt, Israel, Palestine and Lebanon – from 15 to 21 February, just days before the end of the first phase of the deal between the Israeli government and Hamas on the ceasefire and hostage release.

In this four-country mission, which includes the Rafah border crossing, Kibbutzim and Ramallah, S&D MEPs will be meeting government representatives and leading politicians in Cairo, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Beirut, as well as civil society representatives.

The S&D members will also meet with Egyptian authorities and will travel to the Rafah border crossing. Here, they will get a first-hand view of the humanitarian aid work at one of the Gaza Strip’s main points of entry and exit, which was reopened last January after the ceasefire agreement.

The MEPs will visit the Kibbutzim, which was attacked on 7th October 2023, the refugee camps in the West Bank, and they will meet with NGOs such as the Sakharov finalists – Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun. They will also meet representatives from both the Israeli and Palestinian government, members of the Knesset and other representatives of civil society.

The delegation’s last stop is Beirut, where they will meet with representatives of the new Government, members of the Parliament, NGOs, and make field visits to EU-funded projects.

The delegation will hold meetings with, among others, the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa; the leader of the Democrats Party in Israel, Yair Golan; the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon, Walid Jumblatt; the deputy leader of Fatah, Mahmoud Aloul; the President of the Knesset, Amir Ohana; the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri; the speakers of the Egyptian Senate and House of Representatives, Abdel Wahab Abdel Razek and Hanfy Gebaly.

The following members are participating in the mission:

MEP Iratxe García Pérez, S&D Group President

MEP Yannis Maniatis, S&D Group Vice-President for foreign affairs

MEP Evin Incir, AFET Standing Rapporteur for Palestine 

MEP Marta Temido, AFET Shadow Rapporteur for Israel

MEP Elio Di Rupo, AFET Shadow Rapporteur for Egypt

MEP Hana Jalloul Muro, AFET Vice-Chair

MEP Lucia Annunziata, AFET Shadow Rapporteur for Lebanon