From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Europe ‘eye-to-eye’ with Israel on Iranian terror, FM Cohen says from Brussels
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen says Europe is finally coming around to Israel’s side on Iran, after holding meetings in Brussels with senior European Union officials as Jerusalem seeks to push EU policy against Iran in a more assertive direction.
The Foreign Ministry says Cohen spoke with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola of Malta about Iranian attempts to target Jews and Israelis on European soil.
They also discuss the importance of the EU designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. In January, the EU parliament called on the EU’s European Council and member states to list the IRGC as a terrorist group and to ban all business with them.
“European countries understand today more than ever the danger from Iran, and see eye-to-eye with Israel regarding the need to confront terror that comes from and is funded by the Iranian regime,” says Cohen after the meeting.
Earlier, Cohen met with Oliver Varhelyi of Hungary, commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, to discuss an EU research project into antisemitism in Palestinian Authority textbooks. They also talk about a potential EU-Israel demining project in Ukraine, and EU support for expanding the Abraham Accords.
According to Israel, Varhelyi promises that no EU funding will reach terror groups, even indirectly.
The EU has yet to release information about the meetings.
