EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Israel funded the creation of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, publicly refuting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejected such claims, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Opponents of the Israeli government and some global media accuse Netanyahu's governments of supporting Gaza's ruling Hamas group for years, including by allowing funding for Gaza from Qatar.
"Yes, Hamas was funded by the government of Israel in an attempt to weaken the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority," Borrell said in a speech at the University of Valladolid in Spain, without elaborating.
The top diplomat added that the only peaceful solution involves the creation of a Palestinian state.
"We believe that only an externally imposed two-state solution would bring peace, although Israel has criticized various countries, including Borel's native Spain, for what it says are sympathetic to Hamas./BGNES