Netanyahu Slams European Commission: Calls Out 'Double Standard' on Israel

The Jerusalem Post reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called on individual EU states to pressure the European Commission to change its “double standard” toward Israel.

Netanyahu’s call came during a meeting with visiting Estonian Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand.

“European states need to pressure the European Commission to change its attitude toward Israel,” Netanyahu told Kaljurand, who served as Estonia’s ambassador to Israel from 2004 to 2006.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu protested the EU’s formal positions on Israel and accused Brussels of employing a “double standard.”

The European Commission is the EU’s executive body responsible for implementing decisions and running the EU’s day-to-day business. It is based in Brussels and Luxembourg.

Netanyahu has ramped up his public criticism of the EU since it adopted a policy regarding the labeling of products from settlements last November, while carefully drawing a distinction between Israel’s good relationship with most individual EU states and its poor relationship with the Commission in Brussels.