US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on the EU to postpone a ban on EU financial support for Israeli entities in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in order to avoid any moves that could complicate current peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
He made the request when he met the EU Foreign Ministers in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Saturday. During the meeting, he called on the EU to support Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which resumed on July 29 after nearly three-year, under US umbrella.
In July, the EU issued new guidelines banning Israeli entities located beyond the Green Line from EU grants, prizes or loans. The guidelines called, among other elements, for Israel to sign a ‘’territorial clause’’ before entering into any new agreements with the EU that would say that the agreement is inapplicable in east Jerusalem, the Golan Heights or the Wesyt Bank.
According to a senior US State Department official quoted by Reuters, "there was strong support among EU ministers for Kerry’s efforts and an openness to considering his requests."
The guidelines angered Israel's government and brought tensions in EU-Israel relations, with with Israeli Prime Minister guidelines declaring that the EU move harmed Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
Palestinians praised the guidelines as a concrete step against settlement construction.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, while stressing that the guidelines were simply "putting down on paper what is currently the EU position,’’ also announced at a press conference in Vilnius, after meeting with Kerry, that the EU would send a delegation to Israel on Monday to discuss with the Israeli authorities about the implementation of the guidelines which are due to take effect on January 1, 2014.
She said the EU wouldn't withdraw its plan to prevent EU budget funds reaching the settlements but wants to ensure that the guidelines are applied "very sensitively."
"We of course want to continue having a strong relationship with Israel," Ashton she said.
An Israeli foreign ministry official said the EU delegation is expected on Tuesday to give clarifications that will "ease our minds'' on how to the policy will be carried out without blocking EU collaboration with major Israeli research universities.
"I have a sense that this is going in a positive way,'' the foreign ministry official said.
The EU delegation will be led by a senior EU diplomat, Pierre Vimont, Executive Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic service led by Ashton.
The EU and Israel began in July talks over Horizon 2020, the 80-billion euros ($107 billion) EU’s innovation and research flagship program aimed at fueling economic growth and creating jobs.
The new EU ‘settlement guidelines’ could jeopardize an agreement on Israel's participation in it. Israel is the only non-EU country that has been asked to join Horizon 2020 as a full partner.
The EU and Israel are linked by an Association Agreement.