Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid addressed his 26 European counterparts during a speech to the EU Foreign Affairs Council, a first for a member of the Israeli government since Tzipi Livni in 2008.
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In his remarks, Lapid said it is "no secret" that he supports a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, but he noted that the conditions are not currently in place for a peace agreement.
"A future Palestinian state must be a democracy that seeks peace with Israel," he said.
The foreign minister said he supported all humanitarian activities in favor of the Palestinians and any efforts made to improve their economic situation.
Foreign Minister @HeikoMaas and his new
colleague @yairlapid at their 1st personal meeting today agreed on goal to further deepen & intensify cooperation - both bilaterally & with the EU
. Also on the agenda: efforts to advance Middle East Peace Process #MEPP. @IsraelMFA pic.twitter.com/jIP6Ad0SvK
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) July 12, 2021
Josep Borrell, High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of the European Union, welcomed Lapid to Brussels. In a statement, he said the latter's visit offered an opportunity for a "fresh start" in relations between Israel and the EU, which he said had deteriorated considerably during the tenure of Benjamin Netanyahu.
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"It is important that the new Israeli government comes here to Brussels. This is an opportunity for a new start, to relaunch the relationship with Israel from the point of view of our bilateral relations, but also of the situation in the Middle East," Borrell said.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
