’The new Israeli government must give proof that things have changed, compared to the situation where we decided not to hold any more meetings of the Association Council,’’ said EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.
The European Union is willing to resume the meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council, which has not been convened since 2012 because of political disagreements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but a common position must first be adopted among the member states on this issue, said EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell at a press conference following a Foreign Affairs Council on Monday during which Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid addressed his 27 EU counterparts.
‘’It is not yet decided that we will resume the meetings of the Association Council,’’ Borrell told reporters.
He said that many EU member states have shown that they are ready to resume the EU-Israel Association Council, which is the highest political body governing the EU-Israel relations. ‘’But it is obvious that the member states must be able to define a common position,’’ he added.
He also stressed that ‘’Israel has also to do its part’’ on offering a political perspective to end the conflict with the Palestinians. ‘’The new Israeli government must give proof that things have changed, compared to the situation where we decided not to hold any more meetings of the Association Council,’’ Borrell said, adding that ‘’many member states have linked this to the development of settlements in the Palestinian territories.’’ ‘’ Israel must show the goodwill that Minister Lapid has conveyed to us today.’’
Bilateral EU-Israel relations ”are conditioned to many issues in whcih we have differences,” Borrell said.
Lapid expresses support for a two-state solution
During the lunch discussion with the EU ministers, Lapid, who is also Alternate Prime Minister, said it is “no secret” that he supports a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, but he noted that the conditions are not currently in place for a peace agreement.
“A future Palestinian state must be a democracy that seeks peace with Israel,” he said.
He added that that ”there are all sorts of problems within the Palestinian Authority. People understand that Hamas is just a terrible terror organisation and they are not to be negotiated with.”
Lapid said he supported all humanitarian activities in favor of the Palestinians and any efforts made to improve their economic situation.
He insisted that Israel is seeking to open a new chapter in its relations with the EU, emphasizing the liberal values shared by Israel and EU countries.
Borrell, who had invited Lapid to come to Brussels, spoke of a ‘’fresh start’’ on strengthening EU-Israel relations. ‘’The European Union and Israel shadeep political, historical and cultural ties,’’ he said. ‘’I want to stress very clearly that Israel’s security is non-negotiable. We stand firmly for Israel’s security and condemn terrorism,’’ Borrell declared.