EU assures Abbas of support for East Jerusalem as capital of Palestinian state

The European Union on Monday assured President Mahmoud Abbas of the EU’s support for East Jerusalem as capital of a Palestinian state.

Reuters reports that the European High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini gave the assurance at a meeting in Brussels.

In a press conference, she said: “I want to first of all reassure President Abbas and his delegation of the firm commiitment of the European Union to the two state solution with Jerusalem as shared capital of the two states – the state of Israel and the state of Palestine”

Abbas urged the EU member nations to recognize a state of Palestine immediately, arguing that this would not disrupt negotiations with Israel on a peace settlement for the region.

This comes just as US Vice President Mike Pence told the Israeli Parliament same day that the US woukd move its embassy to Jerusalem in 2019.