Global Geo-political Series: EU refuses to follow Trump’s lead in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

After President Trump made a historic decision last week breaking away from decades-old U.S. policy and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited biblical evidence pointing to the legitimacy of Israel’s claim on Jerusalem and urged the European Union to follow suit and recognize that city as Israel’s capital.

However, the European Union has firmly rejected Netanyahu’s call and refused to follow the United States’ lead. Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, met Netanyahu on Monday in Brussels, the first visit by an Israeli prime minister to the European Union in 22 years. During the meeting, she made the EU’s stance quite clear to the Prime Minister saying that EU supports a two-state solution to the problem and the issue of Jerusalem needed to be resolved by direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. She said to the Prime Minister during a joint press conference, “You know where the European Union stands. We believe that the only realistic solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine is based on two states with Jerusalem as the capital of both the state of Israel and the state of Palestine along the 1967 line…..This is our consolidated position and we will continue to respect the international consensus on Jerusalem until the final status of the Holy City is resolved through direct negotiations between the parties".

However, not everyone in the European Union feels the same way. Czech Republic’s President Milos Zeman has openly supported Trump’s decision and added that he wanted the Czech Republic to be the first country to have an embassy in Jerusalem back in 2013.

During the press conference, Prime Minister Netanyahu countered Ms. Mogherini and supported Trump’s decision saying, “Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for the last 70 years. I think what President Trump has done is put facts squarely on the table…..Jerusalem is Israel's capital. No one can deny. It doesn't obviate peace; it makes peace possible because recognizing reality is the substance of peace, it's the foundation of it."