Frederica Mogherini, head of EU foreign policy, will visit Israel and the PA to pressure both sides into reviving, once again, the failed peace talks. “What would make me happy is the existence of a Palestinian state during my tenure,” she says. But what about peace?
High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini will visit the Middle East on Wednesday and Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas.
Mogherini aims “to discuss the bilateral relations as well as prospects for the Middle East peace process,” her office stated on Friday. She is slated to meet with a number of other Israeli and Palestinian officials as well, although their identities were not yet revealed.
“The important thing for me,” Mogherini said, after taking office in November, “is not whether other states, European or not, recognize Palestine. What would make me happy is the existence of a Palestinian state during my tenure.” She also stated her intention to use the EU’s political potential in the region to promote her policies, saying, “For the first time I believe … they need the European Union to be present in order to make steps forward at this time of their history.
Mogherini received a letter last week from a group of former European political leaders calling for an “urgent reassessment” of EU policy on diplomatic negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The letter insisted that Israel “be held to account for its actions in the ‘occupied territories’” and that the EU take an even harsher stance against Israel.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel Staff
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