The recently appointed European Union’s Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process, Fernando Gentilini, will be permanently based in Jerusalem, a new sign of the EU’s desire to play a major role in pushing Israel and the Palestinians to revive peace talks.
Gentilini, a 53-year-old Italian diplomat who has been active in the Balkans as EU special representative in Kosovo, accompanied EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini during her visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority earlier this week. She introduced him during a press conference in Jerusalem after she had talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Unlike his predecessors, Gentilini will permanently live in Jerusalem. Previous envoys to the Middle East have shuttled between Brussels and the region.
“This appointment emphasizes the resolve of the Union to ramp up its involvement in the peace process,” Mogherini declared. “Gentilini will work to renew negotiations with the goal of arriving at a comprehensive peace agreement, based on a two-state solution.”
According to analysts, the appointment of Gentilini, who is known to be supportive of Israel, appears to be a favorable signal to the Israeli government and a counterbalance to the current pro-Palestinian vibe within the European External Service, the EU’s diplomatic service.
Besides meeting with Netanyahu, Mogherini also had talks with President Reuven Rivlin, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely and Opposition leader Isaac Herzog who heads the Zionist Union. Her visit to the region came only a week after the new Israeli government was formed.
On Thursday, Mogherini also spoke with Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Silvan Shalom, who was appointed this week by Netanyahu the government’s chief negotiator with the Palestinians.
“Israel wants to restart the negotiations immediately,” Shalom said.
“Europe can always have a central role in the Quartet,” he said, in a reference to the four-member diplomatic group, comprising the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, that has served as a central body coordinating international efforts on the peace talks.
“However, Europe needs to adopt a balanced policy,” Shalom said, echoing a similar statement made by Isaac Herzog earlier in the day. “I am convinced that a more balanced position on your part would receive a more sympathetic ear in Israel,” Herzog told the EU's top diplomat.
At her joint press conference with Shalom, Mogherini stressed the importance of trust-building by both sides.
Shalom told Mogherini that Palestinian leaders are not acting to build trust.“It cannot be that at the same time as they say they are seeking peace progress, the Palestinians want to turn to the ICC in The Hague, to the Security Council and now to FIFA to kick us out,” he said.
Shalom was referring to the ongoing Palestinian effort to remove Israel from the international footaball governing body.
Shalom asked Mogherini to convince the Palestinians to drop their case against Israel’s participation in world football.
The EU foreign policy chief also met with President Reuven Rivlin at the President’s Residence Thursday morning. Ahead of the meeting, Mogherini told reporters, “The friendship between our peoples is strong and well-established, and my message today is of the need to utilize this connection as a tool to help bring an end to the conflict.”
Rivlin said he was confident that the conflict can be overcome with the help of sincere elements from the Western world but emphasized that in the final analysis, the conflict can be resolved only by agreement by the two parties themselves.
Alluding to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict, Rivlin – which Mogherini lauded- the President said that he had heard what Netanyahu said to Mogherini the previous day and that the whole of Israel had heard it. "The whole world had heard it," he said.
The Israeli president also said that Israel knows that Mogherini is in the country to help build confidence between the two parties. Mogherini said that she had come to bring a message of hope, peace and friendship. She said that she shared Rivlin's vision of bringing the two sides together in peace and security, which is as much in Europe's interest as it is in the interest of the region.
"This conflict will only come to an end when both peoples understand that we must live together side by side," Rivlin said, stressing that Israel has no war with Islam and that ‘’there is a need to build confidence between us, an important step in which is the rehabilitation of Gaza."
He added: ''We can bring real prosperity to Gaza, which will give the residents hope, and begin to build confidence," eventually enabling Palestinians and Israelis to live together.''
"I want to thank you, Mr. President," Mogherini responded, "for your personal commitment to a message of peace and hope, and your wisdom in leading and guiding the Israeli people with an understanding of the complex situation in the region."
"The friendship between our peoples is strong and well-established," Mogherini proclaimed, "and my message today is of the need to utilize this connection as a tool to help bring an end to the conflict.
"I greatly appreciate your vision of living together, and hope that our friends across the world will be able to help in the mission of ending the conflict, while ensuring Israel's security."