The EU envoy complained: Israeli officials do not meet with me
At a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about two weeks ago, the European envoy Sven Koopmans complained about the bad treatment he was receiving for his claim and said that he would not be able to report to the countries in the European Union that Israel is behaving positively towards him.
The head of the political array at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complained for her part about the tweets he publishes on Twitter
Barak Ravid
09/19/2022
Monday, September 19, 2022, 1:47 p.m. Updated: 2:18 p.m.
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The EU envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Sven Koopmans, has officially complained to senior officials at the Foreign Ministry that he does not receive high-level meetings in Israel - according to the summary of the meeting obtained by Walla!.
"I don't even get a meeting with the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel." Koopmans (Photo: Creative Commons, Kammer der Stetten-General)
why is it important
The EU envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is appointed by all 27 EU member states and reports to the countries' representatives in the EU institutions in Brussels.
Senior officials in Israel and the European Union are currently preparing for the meeting of the Association Council that will take place in October.
This is a high-level summit that has not convened between Israel and the European Union for more than ten years, due to disputes over the Palestinian issue.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who will participate in the meeting, wants to make it a summit with the participation of all 27 leaders of the countries in the European Union.
The fact that such a significant political event will take place a few weeks before the elections will help Lapid in the campaign.
Behind the Scenes
Senior Israeli officials said that ahead of his visit to Israel about two weeks ago, the European envoy asked to meet with Lapid, President Herzog and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
All three requests received a negative answer.
During his visit to Israel, the European envoy met with the head of the political array at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aliza Ben Nun, and complained to her that he does not receive high-level meetings, and that he last met Lapid many months ago, when he was still serving as foreign minister.
"In every country in the region I meet the foreign minister, but in Israel I don't even get a meeting with the director general of the foreign ministry," said the European envoy Koopmans to the head of the political setup in the foreign ministry, Ben Nunn, according to a document of the summary of the meeting between them.
Koopmans emphasized that due to the fact that he does not receive meetings during his visits to Israel, he will not be able to report to the member states of the European Union that Israel is behaving positively towards him in preparation for the Association Council meeting.
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the other side
For her part, Ben Nun complained to Koopmans about his tweets on Twitter during the last operation in the Gaza Strip.
According to the summary of the meeting, the head of the political array told the European envoy that his tweets on Twitter did not refer at all to Israel's right to defend itself.
Koopmans, who during the meeting referred to the Gaza Strip as a "prison on which bombs fall from time to time", emphasized that he stands behind his tweets and that his job is to speak on behalf of the European Union and help citizens who are harmed.
what are they saying
A senior official at the Foreign Ministry said that there is no connection between Koopmans' tweets on Twitter and the meetings he receives in Israel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in response that the European envoy met during the past year with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense, the Minister for Regional Cooperation, the Coordinator of Operations in the Territories and the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Koopmans and the EU embassy in Israel refused to comment on the details.
news
Political-political
Foreign relations
Tags
The European Union
Aliza Ben Nun
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
