EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell recalled previous EU statements saying that the initial U.S. peace plan ‘’does not respect the internationally agreed parameters.’’  ‘’It is maybe a starting point for negotiations. Theoretically a negotiation does not finish at the same point it starts, because if not it would not be a negotiation, but an ultimatum.’’

‘’I am sure that he (Pompeo) has been taking good notice of the things that different Member States have explained to him. Among them the German Foreign Minister who has been very concrete, presenting proposals and insisting a lot on the need of preventing annexation, because it would not be without consequences,’’ said Borrell.

‘’When you listen to Luxembourg and when you listen to Hungary, there are different points of view. And he noticed that there were different points of view among Member States.”

 

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the European Union ‘’recognizes the merit’’ of the U.S. Mideast peace plan, unveiled last January by President Donald Trump, ‘’because it has created a certain momentum about a political process that had stopped for too long.”

Speaking at a press conference following a video conference between the 27 EU Foreign Ministers and U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo, mainly devoted to discuss the transatlantic relations, Borrell said that ‘’this momentum can be used to start a joint international effort of the basis of existing internationally agreed parameters.’’

He said the European Union ‘’stands ready to help and to facilitate such a process.’’ “We made clear that it is important to encourage the Israelis and the Palestinians to engage in a credible and meaningful political process,” he added..

But he recalled previous EU statements saying that the initial plan presented by the US ‘’does not respect these parameters.’’  He added: ‘’It is maybe a starting point for negotiations. Theoretically a negotiation does not finish at the same point it starts, because if not it would not be a negotiation, but an ultimatum.’’

In particular, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who paid a visit to Israel last week, insisted during the conversation with Pompeo on the need “to revive the peace process in the region and find a way for both sides to speak and negotiate with each other.”

“A multilateral format could certainly be the right framework for this, and we are prepared to support any initiative in this direction — and I would be glad if our colleague from Washington also were prepared to do this,” Maas said. No details of what the new effort or the U.S response to such an proposal might look like were provided.

‘’Mister Pompeo has not accepted nor refused anything. It was not a matter of accepting or refusing, it was a conversation. He was taking notes, he was answering in general, but we have not gone into negotiations. It was an exchange of views,’’ Borrell insisted.

Borrell also insisted that during the ‘’exchange of views’’ with Pompeo, ‘’we were also clear about the consequences of a possible annexation (by Israel of parts of the West Bank) for the prospects of a two-state solution, but also for regional stability. On that I think that many Member States were very clear about it.’’ Asked by a journalist whether Pompeo gave any indication that the United States might rein in the Israeli plans to annex some West Bank territories, Borrell didn’t replied directly.

‘’I am sure that he (Pompeo) has been taking good notice of the things that different Member States have explained to him. Among them the German Foreign Minister who has been very concrete, presenting proposals and insisting a lot on the need of preventing annexation, because it would not be without consequences,’’ said Borrell.

‘’Mr Pompeo has been taking note of this point of view and of several others’. When you listen to Luxembourg and when you listen to Hungary, there are different points of view. And he noticed that there were different points of view among Member States,’’ he noted. Luxembourg is favoring sanctions against Israel, including recognition of a Palestinian state, if it goes ahead with annexation,  while Hungary has stopped any anti-Israel move within the EU.

In a letter to Rabbi Margolin, head of the European Jewish Association, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, said his country ”will continue to stand up for Israel in the international arena against politically motivated attacks.” ”Hungary made it clear within the EU that we firmly reject the possibility of adopting sanctions against Israel, or taking steps leading to sanctions,” he added. ”We are convinced that such actions are counterproductive and do not contribute to the just and lasting solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

The Israeli government has not yet made any decision on applying sovereignty on parts of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). July 1 is the date set in the coalition government to start such process.