BICOM

Israel’s President addressed the European Parliament yesterday in Brussels, telling legislators that Israel supports the two-state solution, but that the conditions do not exist to make it a reality.

During his two-day visit, President Reuven Rivlin has met with European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Parliament President Martin Schultz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He began yesterday’s special address to the European Parliament by emphasising the common values of “Liberty, equality, justice, pluralism and religious tolerance, democracy”, which are “the basic tenets inscribed in Israel’s Declaration of Independence” and also “the constitutive values of the European Union”.

Turning to the peace process, Rivlin said “in no uncertain manner”, that since the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, “the elected Israeli leadership has been—and is—in support of the solution of ‘two-states for two peoples’”. He added that such an agreement would be approved by Israel’s Knesset. However, Rivlin explained that “we must look at reality straight in the eye and tell the truth. Currently the practical conditions, the political and regional circumstances, which would enable us to reach a permanent agreement… are failing to materialise.”

In particular, said Rivlin, the division of Palestinian governance between the West Bank and Gaza undermines any sense of effective leadership. Most of all though, explained Rivlin, the “total lack of trust between the parties on all levels; between the leaderships and the peoples”, stands in the way of peace. In this regard, he said that the international community should focus on trust-building measures, rather than the attitude that “if we just pressure them, they will agree to a final status agreement and peace”. Consequently, said Rivlin, the current French multi-lateral peace initiative, which has so far excluded both Israel and the Palestinians will likely be a “predictable failure”.

Instead, Rivlin recommended support for Israeli-Palestinian joint ventures, development of the Palestinian economy, shared education initiatives and greater coordination with Jordan and Egypt against to combat extremism.