mr president the council conclusion is indeed a welcome vigorous statement of the eu position and its intention to play a much stronger role in a reinvigorated quartet engagement
do the council and commission therefore agree that the approach urged on it by some which is to boycott israel is completely the wrong route to that engagement
you cannot boycott and engage at the same time
indeed the right approach is the one also stressed by the council conclusions which is to reaffirm the further development of bilateral relations with israel
however tempting it is the council can only be an influential player politically as well as with economic support if it resists the temptations motivated sometimes by frustration at one or other of the parties to have some sort of sanctions or punish one or the other
it is too complex a situation and it simply undermines a consistent coherent eu pressure on both parties to get back to the table and have a peace agreement
