I like to welcome Mrs Mogherini’s balanced presentation regarding the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories. I also like to remind this chamber and the people who are following our debate, that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and maybe we should put out more of our energy into persuading all countries in the area to also follow the path of a real democracy.
I believe many things will be easier to solve in the Middle East, including peace. Coming to the settlement issues I think this should be part of the framework of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Sanctioning only one side has never contributed to the promotion of peace. Israel is an ally, a friend and an important trade partner. Also, when it comes to security innovation agriculture fighting terrorism or even fighting climate change, Israel has so much to give Europe. So, we should not alienate friends by pointing them out every single time without getting deeper into the region’s background and complicated reality. So I call on the EU to remain an honest and balanced broker. It’s the only way we can reach a long-term agreement and hopefully, peace in the region.
