WJC urges Italian support over EU guidelines

Talks have taken place between the Italian prime minister Enrico Letta and the president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Ronald S. Lauder in Rome.

Lauder called upon the Italian leader to urge Brussels to not to force Israel out of the Horizon 2020, effectively expressing his opposition towards the EU’s new Settlement Guidelines, describing recent EU policy towards the region as ‘harmful’ to the Middle East peace process.

In comments carried on the WJC website, Lauder said: “Europe has put itself into a corner. It is worrying to see how the EU has sidelined itself as an effective player at a time when there are several highly explosive conflicts in the region.

“We hope Italy and other key EU member states will act to correct this and to get the EU’s foreign policy back on a track”.

Brussels has said it is willing to discuss the new Settlement Guidelines with the Israeli government.

The conflict in Syria was also debated.