Dutch Member of the European Parliament Bastiaan Belder believes that Europe should take a ‘’more constructive attitude’’ towards the upcoming new government of Israel.
‘’This will bring the Palestinians quicker to the negotiating table for a two-state solution,’’ he told Thursday a meeting of the European Parliament delegation for relations with Israel which discussed the results of the last week’s general elections in Israel.
But Belder, who is Vice-Chair of the Delegation and a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, suggests that European scepticism towards a new government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not facilitate the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Netanyahu, the leader of Likud, the party which won the elections with 30 seats, was tasked by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to form the next government. Likud has started negotiations with potential members of the coalition.
The EU urged Israelis and Palestinians to quickly restart peace talks as new EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini seeks to reinvigorate EU involvement in the negotiations.
‘’Rather than having a negative attitude to the formation of a new government in Israel, Europe needs to understand that before dealing with the quality of life you have to deal with life itself,’’ Belder emphasized, in a reference to the security situation of Israel in the region marked by the launch of rockets from Hamas and threats from Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and ISIS. ‘’Israel is a normal democratic society in a very tumultuous region,'' he said.
Italian MEP Fulvio Martusciello, who heads the delegation with Israel, said in a statement : ‘’We are looking forward to having the new government appointed in a short time. I do hope that the Delegation for relations with Europe in the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) will be formed as soon as possibe to be able to start again and enhance the parliamentary dialogue between the EU and Israel,’’ said Martusciello from the European People’s Party (EPP-Christian Democrat) group.