The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem responds dismissively to an EU proposal for “concrete” incentives for Israelis and Palestinians to restart peace negotiations.
In a Monday statement, the EU’s foreign ministers also unanimously endorse the French peace initiative, which started with a conference in Paris earlier this month.
In its response, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman repeats Israel’s rejection of the French peace initiative and calls for bilateral talks.
“This is an unfortunate step that pushes back efforts to provide the peace that Israel needs,” the ministry statement says.
“International conferences like those that the European Union’s foreign minister welcomed today push peace farther away, because they enable the Palestinians to continue to avoid direct talks and compromise,” the statement adds.
Later this week, both President Reuven Rivlin and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are scheduled to meet separately with EU foreign policy czar Federica Mogherini.
— Raphael Ahren
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