Israeli leaders slam as one-sided EU condemnation of settlements
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman asked where the Europeans were when Hamas leaders called for Israel’s destruction over the weekend. Why weren’t Palestinian envoys in their capitals summoned for explanations? Netanyahu: the Palestinians can avoid negotiations with Israel because the international community exacts no price for Palestinian “rejectionism.” He challenged as “not true” the EU ministers’ charge that building in the E1 corridor linking Maaleh Adummim to Jerusalem blocked the two-state solution.
The European ministers meeting in Brussels Monday night called for full implementation of existing EU legislations and bilateral arrangements applicable to settlement products from the West Bank and Golan.
They were “deeply dismayed by and strongly oppose Israeli plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, including in east Jerusalem, and in particular plans to develop the E1 area."