JERUSALEM/BRUSSELS (EJP)—Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday criticized EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton for issuing a statement expressing concern over recent developments in the West Bank.
He denounced the timing of Ashton’s statement at a time when he said “there are many other instances around the globe of charged confrontations and conflicts that claim human life,” citing the crisis in Ukraine, the Syrian civil war and violence in Iraq.
In her statement, issued by her spokesperson, Ashton said she had “followed with concern” the recent events in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, which are not conducive to the climate of trust and cooperation needed for the current peace negotiations to succeed.’’
After condemning ‘’the recent killing of an Israeli man in the West Bank’, a reference to the death of police officer Ch.-Supt. Baruch Mizrachi, in a shooting attack on his civilian car near Hebron, and calling for ‘’an immediate end to all acts of violence,’’ she also mentioned in particular ‘’the recent announcement that nearly one square kilometre near the Gush Etzion settlement has been declared as ‘state land’ by the Israeli Defence Ministry, the Ministry’s authorization of a new settlement in Hebron and the continuing demolitions of Palestinian property in Area C and east Jerusalem with resulting displacement of vulnerable populations.’’
Ashton also deplored ‘’the recent confiscation of EU Humanitarian Assistance provided to vulnerable civilians in the Jabal Al Baba Community in the E1 area.’’
‘’The EU calls on the Israeli authorities to reverse these decisions,’’ the statement reads.
‘’The High Representative calls on the parties to show utmost restraint and responsibility in order not to jeopardize the current negotiation process, and to refrain from any steps which could undermine and threaten these negotations,’’ her spokesperson said.
‘’The High Representative fully supports the tireless efforts of U.S. Secretary of State Kerry in pursuing peace and trusts that both Prime Minister Netanyhu and President Abbas are committed to finding ways to continue negotiations.’’
On his Facebook page, Avigdor Lieberman sarcastically charged that “it was lucky that the European Union knows how to diagnose critical problems in the world and take care of them quickly and decisively.”