Israel must make a clear commitment to pursue peace talks with the Palestinians before it can expect to benefit from a mooted plan to formally upgrade ties with the European Union, an EU official said Thursday. "We believe that good and trustful relations with Israel are essential so in order to make our voice heard," the EU's External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told reporters in Brussels.
"We do not believe however that indeed the time is ripe to go beyond the current level of relations," she was quoted as saying by AFP.
During 2008, the EU decided to boost ties with Israel but the idea has been a dead letter since the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
"Too much remains unclear at this current point in time. And we expect indeed a clear commitment from the new government to pursue the negotiations with the Palestinians," the EU commissioner said. "We expect a stop of all activities undermining our objective of a two-state solution," she added, citing the expansion of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories "which is continuing on a daily basis."
"Israel knows what we have to offer and we have shown our very good will and our commitment to reinforce our relations but we think that the ball is now in the court of Israel," she conveyed.
