I have a crystal ball and I know what EU foreign ministers will decide to do about Israel in Brussels on Monday (13 July): nothing, again.
The proposal on the table is to restrict or ban trade with illegal Israeli settlers, which would require Germany or Italy to flip against Israel if it was to go through, in order to form a qualified majority in the EU Council.
But for his part, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said in Berlin on Friday it would be enough for the EU to verbally condemn settlers, while he wanted to focus on the future of Gaza and new Lebanon peace talks instead.
“All German governments to date – and we ourselves – have consistently issued statements to this effect [condemning settler violence and expansion],“ he told press, self-approvingly.
The Gaza and Lebanon issues “will … be my key contribution at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday,“ Wadephul said.
