EU Condemns Israel Over East Jerusalem

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blairThe European Union today condemned Israel’s intent to continue building in East Jerusalem, saying it represents an obstacle to international peace efforts.

But former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is now a special Mideast representative, expressed confidence that despite the latest setbacks both the Israelis and Palestinians wanted the peace process to continue.

“The European Union has condemned all the settlement activities,” said Spanish Foreign Miguel Angel Moratinos, whose nation holds the EU’s rotating presidency. “We ask for a total freeze of settlement activity. We will pursue this policy.”

EU foreign ministers met in Brussels a day after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will not restrict construction in East Jerusalem.

The halt to settlement construction is a key demand by the Quartet of Mideast negotiators who are trying to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel has agreed to curb settlement construction in the West Bank, but not in east Jerusalem, claiming the entire city as Israel’s eternal capital.

Israel’s tough stance on Yerushalayim has also run into stiff opposition in Washington. Netanyahu is due to meet President Barack Obama on Tuesday to discuss the impasse.

 “The Netanyahu announcement is completely, utterly unacceptable,” Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said.

 Blair, who briefed the EU on the Quartet’s meeting in Moscow last week, said the setbacks of the last couple of weeks have been very serious.

 “But these setbacks occur, and the key thing is to get back on track,” he said. “I believe that irrespective of the events of the last few days, both Israelis and Palestinians want to see this work.”

 Visiting Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who arrived in Brussels on Friday, was due to meet individually with the foreign ministers of Finland, Germany, Lithuania and Malta, but not with the entire 27-member body.

Lieberman was supposed to attend a joint EU-Israel committee meeting today, but this was postponed until next month because EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton visited Israel and Gaza last week.

 The EU has denied that the postponement is meant as a snub to Lieberman. But relations between the bloc and the Jewish state have taken a turn for the worse in recent months.

{CanadaEast/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}


5 COMMENTS

  1. The EU should stop building in Brussels and all the other European capitals, and Spain and Portugal need to revert to Muslim rule.

  2. “The EU should stop building in Brussels and all the other European capitals, and Spain and Portugal need to revert to Muslim rule”.

    This is a truly excellent idea – well done, R’ Binyomin!

    But let’s take things a stage further: all the Jews in all the countries around the globe should stop living in galus and return to their rightful home in EY.

    If THAT happened, Am Yisrael would be a truly fearsome force to be reckoned with and the goyim would not dare interfere in Israeli domestic politics.

    Why just mouth “Leshana haba beYerushalayim” – make it real.

    C’mon, you know it makes sense.

  3. Whew! This is such good news! The EU hasn’t condemned Israel – in what – two weeks?
    Hey EU – clean up your own mess in Greece and then worry about Israel!

  4. NAZI European is back in full swing all united to destroy the jewsih people with the help of K’B they will all destroy them selfs

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