Thursday

30th Mar 2023

EU stands by Palestine on Jerusalem

  • Abbas (centre) with EU hich representative Mogherini in Brussels on Monday (Photo: consilium.europa.eu)

The EU has restated its opposition to US plans on Jerusalem during a visit to Brussels by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

"I want to reassure president Abbas of the firm commitment of the European Union to the two-state solution with Jerusalem as the shared capital of two states," EU foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday (22 January).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • Netanyahu met EU ministers in December (Photo: consilium.europa.eu)

She spoke alongside the Palestinian leader, who urged the EU to "swiftly recognise the state of Palestine".

"This would encourage the Palestinian people to keep hoping for peace and to wait until peace is brought about," Abbas said.

The meeting came in the wake of US president Donald Trump's decision, last year, to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Mogherini referred to Trump's decision with disdain on two occasions on Monday, saying: "Clearly there is a problem with Jerusalem. That is a very diplomatic euphemism".

The White House, on the same day as the Abbas visit to the EU, sent vice president Mike Pence to Jerusalem to press its line.

Pence promised to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of 2019 and delivered a hardline speech.

But Mogherini urged Abbas to keep working with the US on the Middle East Peace Process despite the setbacks.

"The United States alone would not make it [end the conflict]. The international community without the United States would not make it. We need to join forces," she said.

Trump has said he was preparing a "deal of the century" to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict, with Belgium voicing EU readiness to see the proposals.

"What would be ideal would be to undertake a peace initiative together with the Americans," Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders said on Monday.

"President Trump announced an initiative some time ago. We're waiting for it, and the European Union is ready to work on an initiative that would go in the direction of two states," he said.

French proposal

The Palestinian leader's appeal for EU recognition did not alter the bloc's position - that this should happen after a negotiated solution with Israel.

But France, on Monday, said the EU should open talks on an association treaty with Palestine as an "interim accord" ahead of its future statehood.

"We want to say to Mahmoud Abbas that we want to move towards an interim accord, towards an association agreement, and to start the process already," French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

Association treaties govern mostly trade relations, but are normally signed by the EU with sovereign countries.

The EU first proposed starting association talks with the Palestinian Authority in 2013 with a view to concluding the treaty after the formal establishment of the Palestinian state.

Mogherini said the French idea was not discussed in detail on Monday, but would be in future.

Martin Konecny, a Middle East expert from Eumep, an NGO, said on the French initiative: "It's a primarily symbolic upgrade and gesture toward recognising [Palestine]. It's not incompatible with member states, such as France, fully recognising Palestine at one time or another".

Symbolism

Mogherini's claim that the EU was united on Jerusalem was tested in December, when six EU states abstained from a UN resolution criticising Trump's decision.

Lithuanian foreign minister Linas Linkevicius told EUobserver on Monday that the US remained the EU's main strategic ally despite Trump's move.

"We [the EU and US] should really avoid unilateral, radical steps, or movements" on the Middle East Peace Process, he added.

The Abbas visit came after Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu met EU foreign ministers in Brussels last December on Lithuania's invitation.

Netanyahu urged the EU to follow Trump in recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and said Israel had foiled terrorist attacks against EU states.

"Israel is the strongest power in the Middle East that is stopping the advance of militant Islam," he said.

Two EU states break ranks on Jerusalem

Hungary and the Czech Republic have broken EU ranks on US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital despite warnings it could bring back 'darker times'.

Letter

Slovakia to strengthen presence in Israel

EUobserver received this letter from the ambassador of the Slovak republic to the EU to clarify the reasons why Slovakia decided to strengthen its presence in Israel and open a Slovak Cultural and Information Centre in Jerusalem.

Opinion

EU's moment of truth in Khan al-Ahmar

EU states have spoken out in strident terms against the Israeli demolition of another Palestinian community - but what are they prepared to do to stop the war crime?

Column

What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking

Perhaps even more surprising to the West was the fact that the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal was not brokered by the United States, or the European Union, but by the People's Republic of China. Since when was China mediating peace agreements?

Opinion

Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity

From the perspective of international relations, the EU is a rare bird indeed. Theoretically speaking it cannot even exist. The charter of the United Nations, which underlies the current system of global governance, distinguishes between states and organisations of states.

Latest News

  1. Work insecurity: the high cost of ultra-fast grocery deliveries
  2. The overlooked 'crimes against children' ICC arrest warrant
  3. EU approves 2035 phaseout of polluting cars and vans
  4. New measures to shield the EU against money laundering
  5. What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking
  6. Dear EU, the science is clear: burning wood for energy is bad
  7. Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity
  8. Finnish elections and Hungary's Nato vote in focus This WEEK

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  2. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Azerbaijan Embassy9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting
  2. EFBWWEU Social Dialogue review – publication of the European Commission package and joint statement of ETUFs
  3. Oxfam InternationalPan Africa Program Progress Report 2022 - Post Covid and Beyond
  4. WWFWWF Living Planet Report
  5. Europan Patent OfficeHydrogen patents for a clean energy future: A global trend analysis of innovation along hydrogen value chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us