EU insists it’ll retain role in peace process

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, meets Netanyahu on the sidelines of the climate conference in Paris.

According to Reuters, the EU says that it will maintain its role in the efforts to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians despite Netanyahu’s assertion yesterday that Jerusalem would suspend all ties with the Union vis-a-vis the diplomatic process.

That move was a response to the EU’s issuing of a directive to all its member states to begin labeling as such goods manufactured in settlements in the West Bank and Golan Heights.

Despite Israel’s announcement that it was freezing dialogue on the peace process, “EU-Israel relations are good, broad and deep and this will continue,” an EU spokeswoman tells reporters in Brussels, according to Reuters.

“When it comes to the Middle East peace process, the EU continues and will continue to work on this in the Quartet with our partners with both parties because of course peace in the Middle East is of interest to the whole international community,” the spokesman reportedly adds.

According to Haaretz, during her meeting with Netanyahu, Mogherini demands an explanation of his announcement yesterday.