The European Union (EU) hectored the United States on the need to respect the “legitimate aspirations” of the Palestinians following Middle East peace talks in Brussels.
The remarks followed President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner — who European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker dismissively referred to as the President’s “son-in-law” — visiting the EU capital of Brussels to discuss the administration’s efforts to secure a lasting peace deal in the region in Brussels, The Times of Israel reports.
President Juncker and Federica Mogherini, the grandly titled High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, put out a statement saying they had listened to Mr Kushner’s “ideas” and confirmed their own “fundamental interest [in] a lasting and sustainable peace” — but added that it “must be accompanied by viable political solution that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis”, within what the described as “the agreed international parameters”.
The statement appears to be a coded rebuke to the Trump administration, which has made no bones about its willingness to break with the long tradition of international inaction in the region and back the Israelis, formally recognising Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state and its sovereignty over the contested Golan Heights, for example.
The European Union, on the other hand, has tended more towards chastising the Israelis and their aspirations to secure their position in the region, and to appease the country’s foes in the region.
For example, the bloc has been fighting hard to keep the Iran deal alive after President Trump pulled the United States out of it, working to establish a “special purpose vehicle” mechanism with the Islamic Republic to circumvent U.S. sanctions.
Ms Moghereini declared last year that the EU was “determined to preserve” the deal with the theocratic country, claiming that it was “delivering on its goal [of] guaranteeing that Iran doesn’t develop nuclear weapons” and vowing to “stay true” to it.
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