If you think, Brussels and Washington were on an extreme collision course under European Union’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, think again because the EU’s choice for a new foreign policy chief gives clearest of signal that Trans-Atlantic alliance partners are not on the same page, especially in the Middle East.
Brussels was already at odds with Washington over President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel under Ms. Mogherini, the tensions likely to elevate with the new policy chief - Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell Fontelles. Mogherini has long been accused of pro-Palestinian, and anti-Israel bias, since she did not visit Israel on a working visit in almost four years, her last meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was an icy one in Brussels in December 2017, following President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The move was blasted by Mogherini, who called for a joint pan-EU condemnation. The move failed to reach a unanimous consensus with 28 members.
It is likely to get worse under Josep Borrell Fontelles, who has openly in the past called for unilateral pan-EU recognition of Palestinian statehood to counter United States’ unilateral decision on Jerusalem. He has been a vocal critic of Israel, its treatment of Gaza and Palestine, as well as it's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is also at odds over U.S. policy on Iran. When asked, if the U.S. might have a point about Iran given its vow to destroy Israel and its malignant behavior in the region, Borrell said, “We are not children following what they [the Americans] say. We have our own prospects, interests and strategy, and we will continue working with Iran. It would be very bad for us if it goes on to develop a nuclear weapon … Iran wants to wipe out Israel; nothing new about that. You have to live with it.”
