European External Action Service spokesman Peter Stano warned, on Wednesday 4 January, that the level of cooperation with the new Israeli government will be adjusted according to its actions.
Benyamin Netanyahu’s new government is the most right-wing in the history of Israel, with right-wing, but also far-right and ultra-Orthodox ministers. As soon as he took office, the new Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, visited the Esplanade of the Mosques.
“We are following very closely what is happening on the ground and the first steps of the Israeli government with which we are looking forward to cooperate on the basis of our shared values. We will be adjusting this cooperation according to the new government’s actions”, Mr Stano told the media.
A few hours earlier, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, congratulated Eli Cohen on his appointment as Israeli Foreign Minister, saying he was looking forward to working with him to improve EU-Israel relations.
“We have a lot to do together. The EU is ready to contribute to a revival of the Middle East Peace Process and to promote a two-state solution”, he stressed on Twitter.
The day before, after Ben Gvir’s visit to the Esplanade of the Mosques, the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Sven Koopmans, had recalled on Twitter that the status quo on the Holy Sites and the custodianship by the King of Jordan, “internationally agreed, are essential to regional peace, stability and the equilibrium between the main religions in Jerusalem (and are) of great concern to us all”.
The far-right minister’s trip was denounced by several European diplomatic services.
For his part, Mr Stano underlined the EU’s concern about actions that run counter to the status quo, calling for appeasement on all sides, and to avoid any action or provocation that would lead to an escalation of tensions. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)