Israel 'very much in favour' of Netanyahu-Abbas meeting in Brussels

By Yossi Lempkowicz, Europe Israel Press Association

Israel is "very much in favour" of the Cyprus president’s idea to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to come to Brussels to speak to the EU Council and ask for its support to help them renew the peace process, Israel’s Ambassador to the European Union, David Walzer, told the European Parliament on 17 September.

The idea of such an invitation, first raised by the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades (pictured) during his visit in Israel in June, was discussed when EU Council President Donald Tusk visited Israel two weeks ago.

Netanyahu repeated earlier this month in London that he was ready to return to peace talks with the Palestinians "without pre-conditions".

​"I’m willing right now, without any preconditions, any preconditions whatsoever, to sit down with President Abbas and negotiate this peace. Anytime, anywhere, now, without preconditions," he declared at a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Addressing members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Israel, David Walzer said that while Israel repeats its readiness to resume talks, with Brussels as a possible venue, ‘’Abu Mazen (PA President Mahmoud Abbas) refuses to go back to talks because he knows he can’t deliver. He prefers to resign (he has threatened to do so) than to do peace with us,’’ he added, mentioning the struggle within the PA.

"Instead of going to the negotiating table, he is instigtating the new wave of violence in Jerusalem Temple Mount and is waving the Palestinian flag in New York in order to raise attention when the international community is focusing on other problems," the ambassador said, calling on the EU to put pressure on Abbas to come to the table.

During the exchange of views with the MEPs, Walzer said that Israelis perceive more and more Europe as ‘’one sided’, citing in particular the recent vote in the European Parliament of a resolution calling for labeling Israeli products from settlements.

"This action of labeling is a discrimination action against Israel because EU doesn’t label products from northern Cyprus or Western Sahara, as coming from occupied territories. This is an unfair measure against an ally of Europe."

He continued: "Israelis don’t understand that while the region is in chaos, with the refugee crisis, the conficts in Syria, Daesh, Yemen…Europe devotes so much time to the labeling issue and blames only Israel for the lack of a peace process. Don’t take the cooperation between the EU and Israel, the only stable democracy in the region and EU’s partner, as a hostage of the peace process,’’ he insisted.

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