Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked on a trip to Europe on Saturday night, with the aim of bolstering relations between Israel and the European Union. Prior to departing from Ben Gurion International Airport, the Israeli leader stressed that while he ascribes great importance to Europe, he is not willing to accept a double standard on its part.
Netanyahu’s first stop was in Paris, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who was a vocal critic of President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital. During a joint press conference, Netanyahu emphasized to Macron that as Israel respects the history that ascribes Paris as the capital of France, it is also to be expected that the French would accept the history of the Jewish people, that is clearly portrayed in the bible, which ascribes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Israeli leader further declared that the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was a vital step toward peace. President Macron took the opportunity to emphasize that international actors should not be a factor to rely on for peace, but rather it was the desire of the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships that must make difficult choices and concessions to truly give peace a chance.
Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with President Macron, the Israeli leader travelled to Brussels, were he attended this morning an informal breakfast of EU Foreign Minister. During the meeting, Netanyahu urged the European top diplomats to put the true facts on the table, in which recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was merely a reality that does not hurt peace-making, on the contrary, Netanyahu declared it would contribute to peace in the Middle East.