German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier took a shot at Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria on Monday (Jan. 16), telling reporters in Brussels prior to a meeting of European Union officials “the basis of … negotiations [between Israel and the Palestinian Authority] cannot be undermined by construction of settlements.
“It is difficult but there is no alternative,” he said.
Steinmeier also said that both sides have to be willing to “create results” in order for Israel and the PA to co-exist peacefully.
“Everybody knows that the security situation in Israel is part of that,” he said, but referred back to language seen in the UN Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) as the only way to reach those results.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini later told reporters the European body opposes the Trump administration’s promise to move the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.