Palestinian Authority president meets senior EU figures in Brussels

The President of the Palestinian Authority has met senior EU representatives in Brussels. Mahmoud Abbas met Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, parliament president Antonio Tajani and head of the diplomatic service, Federica Mogherini. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at European Council headquarters in Brussels #Palestine #EU #Abbas pic.twitter.com/awHZqbUAsH— Wiktor Dabkowski (@Brussels_PJ) 27 mars 2017 For Mogherini, there is only one way to achieve peace in the Middle East. “We remain committed to a negotiated two state solution that remains for us the only viable way to end the conflict and all claims. Our EU policy on this has not changed, our position on Jerusalem as future capital of both states has not changed and we support Palestinian presence in East Jerusalem” “As you know the international references, the international agreements on which we base ourselves, including the basis for the EU policy for peace in our region, they are all based on the two-state solution in line with the 1967 borders. Palestine and Israel living together in peace,” responded Mahmoud Abbas. In tweets Happy to welcome President Abbas again – EU continues to work with partners for peace in the Middle East pic.twitter.com/wiRAT2I8PJ— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) 27 mars 2017 President JunckerEU meets with Palestinian president_abbas. Brussels, now. #MEPP #EU #Palestine pic.twitter.com/dfqDJ5RClL— Maja Kocijančič (@MajaEUspox) 27 mars 2017 #Palestine-EU relations: EP_President met w/ M. Abbas, Palestinian President: DOWNLOAD VIDEO - arrival&roundtable https://t.co/d5AXpXcQ9n pic.twitter.com/vdY8Svz5fi

— EP Audiovisual (europarlAV) 27 mars 2017 Peace talks Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been frozen since 2014. Settlements are one of the most heated issues. Palestinians want the West Bank and East Jerusalem for their own state, along with the Gaza Strip. Settlement building Israel is building in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where Palestinians want to establish their state and capital. The areas were seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. What Angela Merkel says On Friday, the German chancellor said she was concerned about Israel’s building in settlements in the occupied West Bank. Merkel said the work is undermining progress towards a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. “As before, I see no reasonable alternative to the goal of a two-state solution,” Merkel told reporters before holding talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin. “Both the Israeli and Palestinian people have the right to live in peace and security and none of the other options can deliver that credibility,” the German chancellor said. What Washington says Merkel’s comments jar with past remarks by US President Donald Trump. He has expressed some ambivalence about a two-state solution. He has, however, recently invited Abbas to visit the White House.