Israeli PM urges EU to follow US
Bloc reiterates that it is behind the ‘international consensus’ on Jerusalem. AIM IS FOR A TWO-STATE SOLUTION
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday urged the European Union (EU) to follow US President Donald Trump’s lead and recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but EU ministers shook their heads at Trump’s move.
Netanyahu, arriving for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, said the move made peace in the Middle East possible “because recognising reality is the substance of peace, the foundation of peace”. But even Israel’s closest European allies, such as the Czech Republic, warned Trump’s decision was bad for peace efforts, while France insisted Jerusalem’s status could only be agreed in a final deal between Israelis and Palestinians.
Asked about Trump’s decision to switch the US Embassy to Jerusalem, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said: “It can’t help us.”
Netanyahu, who has been angered by the EU’s search for closer business ties with Iran, said Trump’s move, condemned by the Palestinians and by Europe, should be emulated by them. “It’s time the Palestinians recognise the Jewish state and also recognise that it has a capital. It’s called Jerusalem,” he said, after flying into Brussels from Paris after a meeting on Sunday with France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
“I believe that, even though we don’t have an agreement yet, this is what will happen in the future. I believe that all, or most, European countries will move their embassies to Jerusalem, recognise it as Israel’s capital and engage robustly with us.”
Last week, the Czech foreign ministry said it would begin considering moving their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which many in Israel saw as an endorsement of Trump’s move. But Prague later said it accepted Israel’s sovereignty only over West Jerusalem. EU foreign ministers reiterated that the lands Israel has occupied since a 1967 war, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, are not part of the internationally-recognised borders of Israel.
“I’m convinced that it is impossible to ease tension with a unilateral solution,” Zaoralek said. “We are talking about an Israeli state but at the same time we have to speak about a Palestinian state.”
France’s Foreign Minister JeanYves Le Drian urged Washington to come forward with peace plans that are being drawn up, adding: “if one is not forthcoming the EU will have to take the initiative”.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told Netanyahu the bloc would continue to recognise the “international consensus” on Jerusalem and repeated the EU’s commitment to a two-state solution.