In an unprecedented move, over 100 parliamentarians from European Union nations and from Israel – including Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and MK Zvi Hauser, who chairs the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee – have sent a joint letter to European Union High Representatives Josep Borrell Fontelles, calling on the EU to renew ministerial-level dialogue with Israel.
The EU-Israel Association Council is a framework that facilitates cooperation between Israel and the EU in a number of fields. The parliamentarians who sent the letter expressed concern that the council had not convened, despite the emergence of urgent issues, such as the coronavirus pandemic.
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The signatories to the letter are urging Borrell to take immediate steps to re-launch the activity of the EU-Israel Association Council in honor of the 25th anniversary of its formation, which is in July.
The EU establishment froze dialogue at that rank eight years ago in protest over Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and the lack of progress in the peace process.
According to the letter, the EU has not updated its 2015 "Neighborhood Policy" for Israel, despite having done so for Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia.
"Renewed dialogue and consultation between the EU and Israel is necessary because of new challenges, such as the coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing dangerous tensions in the Middle East, and the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe," the letter reads.
The missive also notes that the last Israeli election and formation of a unity government comprise an opportunity to re-start political dialogue at the highest level.
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