U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is holding talks on Monday with European Union foreign ministers on numerous trans-Atlantic issues, including Israel’s expected action to annex parts of the West Bank.
“We are reaching out trying to persuade everybody that annexations are not a good idea and will create instability, and the Israeli government should reconsider,” a senior E.U. official told AFP.
The European Union has repeatedly expressed its objections to Israel’s likely application of sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, while the United States has apparently given Jerusalem the green light as long as annexation is in accordance with the Trump administration’s “Peace to Prosperity” Mideast plan released earlier this year that Israel accepted and the Palestinians rejected.
The talks come in the aftermath of the United States announcing last week that it has authorized sanctions against International Criminal Court officials who are investigating alleged war crimes against the United States and its allies, including Israel.
The European Union and ICC have criticized the policy.
