French minister questions Israel guidelines

The French Foreign Minister has said it is important to review EU’s settlement guidelines and modify the text where it goes beyond the original vision of the rules.

Laurent Fabius made the comments during a press conference in Jerusalem following a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority; he said the issue was repeatedly a key concern for Israeli minsters.

In comments at the press conference, carried in the Jerusalem Post, the minister said: “My conclusion is that we have to look closer and see if there were things that were not intended and make changes where changes need to be made without changing the overall approach.”

Fabius added that the overall spirit of the document did not require changing. The Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid has asked France to encourage the EU to modify the settlement guidelines.

Israel has said it will not sign the document and consequently not partake in Horizon 2020 with the guidelines in their current form.