BRUSSELS — Israel’s new ambassador to the European Union is calling on the bloc to lift the penalties it imposed on his country over the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, now that a ceasefire negotiated with a push from Donald Trump has begun.
In his first interview since officially taking up the post last week, Avi Nir-Feldklein said he was “optimistic” that the ceasefire would allow for a reset in Israel’s relationship with the EU, which has been severely strained by the fallout from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The ambassador conceded that it had been a “challenging” period for Israel-EU relations. But he downplayed the rift and argued there was now a window “to overcome this short, uncomfortable situation that we have between us right now and to resume the good relations that we had,” given that the peace initiative was underway.
“We cherish very much our relationship with the EU,” the ambassador said. “I’m optimistic because I believe the EU member countries, most of them, would like to see it happening and right now the Trump initiative has started in a very good way and I believe that the EU would like to be part of it.
“And if you want to be part of it, you need, really, to clear the table of what is hanging above our relationship.”
Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to restrict trade with Israel and impose sanctions on “extremist ministers” in Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration. She also suspended Commission funding for support to Israel, worth a total of around €14 million, as she demanded “the horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop.”
EU officials have been bitterly critical of Israel over what they have described as the “man-made famine” hitting tens of thousands of Palestinians and the failure to distribute aid supplies to those who need it. Some senior figures have labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide.” A number of EU countries moved last month to recognize a Palestinian state, angering the Israeli government.
The ambassador said two issues need to be resolved to allow for a reset in relations with Brussels. First, the EU funding for cooperation with Israeli institutions that von der Leyen put on hold should be restored. “This is one topic that we hope will be off the table and those projects that were put on hold will be resumed,” he said.
The second point the Commission needs to address is the proposed suspension of parts of the EU-Israel association agreement on the Horizon Europe research program and preferential trade terms. “There’s just no reason any more for it,” he said. “This needs to be totally off the table.”
EU and U.K. officials have said they want Europe to have a seat on the “board of peace,” the body that is intended to oversee the transitional governance of Gaza by a Palestinian committee. Nir-Feldklein said it would be up to Israel’s foreign minister to discuss the question of the peace board’s composition with the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas.
“But there’s probably going to be some reluctance in Jerusalem before we clear the table” of the issues “hanging above our relations.”
Two-state solution
Nir-Feldklein said the success of the Trump initiative was “extremely important” for Israel, bringing an end to the conflict and returning the Israeli hostages Hamas seized two years ago.
The EU, U.K. and other Western powers regard a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state alongside Israel, as the only viable long-term option for peace in the Middle East.
Netanyahu has flatly ruled out such an option, and the new ambassador said it would be impossible while Hamas remained active in Gaza and while Palestinians continue to deny the right of the state of Israel to exist, two issues that have not been addressed under the current ceasefire.
A representative of the Palestinian mission in Brussels was contacted for comment, but did not respond.
But Nir-Feldklein did not rule out that at some point in the future, if the Palestinians take a radically different approach, a two-state solution could return as an option.
“They need to recognize Israel as a Jewish state,” he said. “What we need to see is much more sincere attitudes from the Palestinian leadership toward a future solution and then who knows? Maybe then it might be again on the table. Out of three times they rejected it, twice we were the ones putting it on the table.”
The ambassador added, “It was on the table, now it’s off the table, but you know, life far away [is] dynamic. So maybe I don’t know what — maybe after we see real sincere efforts, then it might be.”
A few years ago, even Netanyahu was saying publicly he supported a two-state solution, the ambassador said, but the Israeli prime minister now has “good reasons” not to support the concept.
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