European Union condemns Trump’s peace plan

BRUSSELS – On Tuesday, the European Union rejected parts of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle east, stating that, “The plan violates international agreed standards” and if Israel annexes any Palestinian land, it will remain in dispute.

Last week, the European Union said that it needed to study Trump’s plan before it could make determine its position.

In a statement, European Union Foreign Policy Chief, Jose Borrell, said that, “In order to establish a just and lasting peace, the remaining final status issues which are unresolved must be resolved through direct negotiations between both parties.”

“The American initiative, as announced on January 28, is far from those internationally recognized standards,” Borrell continued, adding that, “no steps toward annexation, if implemented, can go without conflict.”

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Hayat wrote on Twitter, “The fact that the European Union High Representative, Jose Borrell, chooses to use threatening language towards Israel, after a very short period in office, and only hours after his meetings in Iran, is unfortunate, strange and unappreciated.”

It should be noted that the European bloc includes countries with different degrees of sympathy for the Palestinians and Israelis.