BICOM

Relations between Israel and the European Union (EU) were said to have returned to normal, following a conversation between Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

The two spoke by telephone over the weekend and appeared to resolve tensions over EU guidelines issued in November, which called for the separate consumer labelling of West Bank goods. The move was condemned by Israeli government and opposition leaders, who said it would not help bring about a two-state solution. As a result, Israel froze EU involvement in dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

However, following Netanyahu’s conversation with Mogherini, the spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry Emmanuel Nachshon said that Israel-EU relations are once more “close and friendly.” Netanyahu himself said that Mogherini reiterated “that the EU is opposed to any boycott of Israel, and about their action regarding product labelling, she defined it as non-binding.” Mogherini agreed that Israel’s final borders “can be determined – this is what she said – only in direct negotiations between the sides [Israel and the PA].” As a result, Israel lifted the freeze on EU involvement in peace efforts. It was also reported that Netanyahu had agreed to visit Brussels, but that no date had been set.

Separately on Friday, Mogherini convened a meeting of the Middle East Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) on the sidelines of a Munich security conference. Mogherini was joined by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Deputy UN Secretary-General Jan Eliasson. They expressed “serious concern” at the “continued acts of violence against civilians,” which they said is “dangerously imperilling the viability of a two-state solution.” They called for Israel to show restraint and the Palestinians to “reject incitement.”

Mogherini also said that “We have decided to immediately work together on a report, which will include recommendations for relaunching the two-State perspective,” in conjunction “with the main regional actors.” Channel Ten said that Netanyahu’s office denied knowledge of such a report.