From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Israel not cooperating in planned EU foreign policy chief visit
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After he harshly criticized Israel on several occasions in recent weeks, Israel is refraining from cooperating on any attempts by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to make an official visit to Israel.
“He is not banned from coming,” an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel, “but we don’t see the purpose of such a visit right now, and we’re not helping to coordinate such a trip.”
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen blasted Borrell on Tuesday for allegedly drawing a comparison between Palestinian terror attacks and IDF operations in an article he wrote.
The dressing down seems to have had some effect, as Borrell delivered a speech on Israeli democracy last night that seemed designed to smooth things over with Cohen and Israeli leaders in general.
