The European Union will always be a close ally of Israel. This was emphasized by EU Parliament President Metsola during her first trip to Israel.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, delivered a speech before the Knesset on Monday. She assured the Knesset that Europe would always support Israel's "right to exist." She stated her intention to deepen relations between Israel and the EU in the areas of culture, science, trade, education, art, research, and technology. She added that antisemitism contradicts European values.
Praise and criticism
Besides applause, the 43-year-old Maltese woman also faced criticism from some members of parliament. Members of the extreme religious Zionist camp sneered at her call for a "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They consider Metsola's vision of a "secure State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable Palestinian state, side by side in peace and security" to be unrealistic.
Arab MP Ahmad Tibi (Joint List), however, criticized Metsola for not mentioning the "occupation" at all. He also said she had omitted the death of reporter Shirin Abu Aqla. This, he said, was "revealing" and "shameful." "Today's speech gives the green light for further crimes," he lamented.
Model of the Abraham Accords
Metsola pointed to the normalization agreements between Arab states and Israel as proof that peace is possible. History doesn't have to repeat itself. Even the Abraham Accords seemed unthinkable not so long ago. "The cycle can indeed be broken," she said.
Before her speech, Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid) called on the Speaker of the Knesset to attach conditions to payments to the Palestinian Authority (PA). He pointed to the anti-Semitic propaganda in Palestinian school textbooks, which the EU significantly co-finances. This incitement of youth, he argued, is also partly responsible for the current wave of terrorism in Israel. The EU has repeatedly threatened the PA with withholding funds for this reason, but ultimately relented.
"Not the last visit"
Metsola was confirmed in her post as President of the European Parliament by election on her 43rd birthday, January 18, 2022. The trip to Israel is her first official visit outside the European Union. It is also her first trip to Israel ever. "It won't be my last," she assured.
