Three European Union countries — Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Romania — blocked an effort by the EU’s general council to condemn and “isolate” the White House for moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
The effort, led by France, was designed to punish the United States for the decision to relocate its official presence in Israel, Axios reports. If all 28 European Union member nations had signed it, it would have signaled a major effort to oppose the United States’ change in policy and might have “embarrassed” the Trump Administration, even though the administration was adamant in its commitment to the move.
According to Axios, the draft resolution called for Jerusalem to be recognized as a dual capital — the central city of both Israel and “Palestine,” and claimed that the United States could not unilaterally decide that Jerusalem was the capital without the consent of other members of the United Nations, after significant debate. In addition, the draft statement suggested that no European nation would consider moving its own embassy to Jerusalem based on the United States’ example.
Fortunately for the United States, three member nations derailed the effort. Without Romania, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, the issue has no EU consensus, and the resolution carries no weight.
Senior officials aren’t happy about the block, according to Axios. At least one source complained to the outlet that “the Hungarians didn’t want to poke Trump in the eye and the Czechs and the Romanians are considering to move their embassies to Jerusalem against the EU position. This is the state of the EU these days.”
The black eye gives the United States a win at the end of a contentious week, arguing with the European Union — and especially France — over whether to exit the Iran deal. The EU still opposes America’s decision to drop the handshake agreement the Obama Administration made with the Mullahs.