BICOM

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Israel, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, yesterday declined to take any position on Israel’s insistence that the Palestinian Authority (PA) recognise Israel as a Jewish State during current peace talks.

Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Faaborg-Andersen took the opportunity to reject accusations that the EU is one-sided in its approach towards Israel and the PA, commenting, “I don’t think that there is any argument that we are imbalanced.” Last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it’s time for the EU to “inject some fairness in the discussion.” His comments came after Israel’s ambassadors in the UK, France, Spain and Italy were summoned to respective foreign ministries over Israeli settlement construction. Netanyahu asked why PA envoys were not similarly called to account over “incitement to Israel’s destruction.”

Faaborg-Andersen was also questioned yesterday over Israel’s insistence that the PA recognise Israel as a characteristically Jewish State, in accordance with the principle of two states for two peoples. Faaborg-Andersen said, “I don’t think we have any clear position on that because we’re not 100 per cent sure what is meant by this concept of a Jewish state,” adding, “All I can say is that this is for the parties to discuss.” His spokesman later released a statement saying, “The EU has not pronounced a position on the question of recognition of Israel as a Jewish state among other reasons because we’re not sure about the implications of this on other final status issues.”

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu outlined the issue in an interview with Canada’s CTV News, saying that Arab citizens serve in Israel’s government, parliament and Supreme Court in the commitment to “full civic equality.” He elaborated, “This state, with its flag, with its symbols, its national holidays and the ability to accept Jews from around the world — that’s the nation-state of the Jewish people, with full civic rights to those who are non-Jews.”