EU rebuffs idea of recognizing Jerusalem as Netanyahu visits
BRUSSELS — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the European Union on Monday to back a new U.S. peace initiative in the Middle East, after President Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital met with widespread condemnation and triggered clashes in the Palestinian territories.
Netanyahu, making the first official visit by an Israeli premier to the EU’s Brussels headquarters in 22 years, told reporters that recognizing Jerusalem merely stated the reality on the ground. He said he expected many European countries to follow Trump’s lead.
But EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who chaired talks between Netanyahu and EU foreign ministers, said no European leaders plan to adopt the U.S. president’s position.
Netanyahu insisted that, in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, “what President Trump has done is put facts squarely on the table. Peace is based on reality.”