Next Tuesday, Dec. 8th, EU foreign ministers are slated to discuss the draft of a new paper criticizing Israeli policies toward the occupied Palestinian territories. The document, which suggests that East Jerusalem should be the future designated capitol of a new Palestinian state has engendered a sharp rebuke from Israel and its supporters. Although some argue the draft is to be seen as part of a diplomatic effort to strengthen the Palestinians and encourage them to return to talks, Israel has accused the EU of harming peace talks by proposing such a partition.
According to an article in the Guardian:
The draft says a future Palestine should be made up of the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital. It adds that the EU did not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem – a position shared by the rest of the international community. “If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the capital of two states,” says the draft, which the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz has obtained a copy of.
Sweden, which currently holds the EU presidency, was singled out for blame by Israel. “The move led by Sweden damages the ability of the European Union to take a role and be a significant factor in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.
“After the important steps taken by the government of Israel to enable the resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians, the European Union must now exert pressure on the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. Steps like those being led by Sweden only contribute to the opposite effect.”
Read the full article HERE