Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has lauded the European Union's decision to resume the Association Council sessions with Israel for the first time in a decade.
Lapid said in a statement Tuesday that a new era has begun in the relations between the EU and Israel.
Political sources confirmed that Lapid intends to visit Brussels to attend a conference with EU foreign ministers, which he'll benefit from during his electoral campaign.
"The fact that the 27 foreign ministers of the European Union voted unanimously to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties with Israel is proof of Israel's diplomatic power and the government's ability to create new opportunities with the international community," said Lapid.
EU foreign ministers voted Monday unanimously in Brussels to revive the EU-Israel Association Council.
He indicated that the Council is the highest political body responsible for promoting the entirety of Israel's relations with the EU, including at the political, economic, and technological levels.
Lapid stated that the Council would allow Israel to continue developing its relations with the European Union in the interest and welfare of the citizens of Israel.
The EU maintained close relations with Israel to put forward the idea of including it as a member state. But the differences during the term of Benjamin Netanyahu created a rift in relations, which led to the cessation of Israeli participation in the Dialogue Council in 2012.
Last year, Lapid was invited to attend the meeting of EU foreign ministers, and the meeting of the Association Council was set as one of the main objectives of promoting Israeli-EU relations.
Over the past year, relations further developed, and they signed the Horizon program, which offers funding and cooperation on research and development in various domains.
Other examples are the visits of senior European officials to Israel, including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to the Walla news website in Tel Aviv, this step is essential to improve relations between Israel and the EU and is a significant achievement for Lapid, who determined enhancing ties with the Union as one of his primary goals when he assumed the position of the foreign minister about a year ago.
The website reported that 27 foreign ministers of the EU Union attended their monthly meeting in Brussels, and the annual political meeting with Israel was on the agenda.
The report quoted a high-ranking official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry as saying that a meeting date between the two parties has not been set yet.
At a press conference in Brussels at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that the Union's position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and support for the two-state solution has not changed.
"The position of the EU has not changed with respect to the Middle East peace process, and we will continue... supporting the two-state solution," said Borrell.
"We know the situation on the ground in the Palestinian territories is deteriorating, and I think ministers agree this association council is a good occasion to engage with Israel about these issues," he said, adding that it would be an appropriate time to think about the EU's position in the peace process.
A source at the far-right Israeli opposition revealed that right-wing parties in Brussels tried to dissuade the Union from taking this decision at this particular time so that it would not appear as interference in the Israeli elections in favor of Lapid.
However, almost all foreign ministers who attended the meeting agreed that there is no need to wait until after the Israeli elections in early November to convene.
Borrell noted that they will not necessarily wait until after the election on Nov 1 or for a new government to be formed.
"Who knows when the next Israeli government will be formed? Maybe it will be six months or a year," Borrell said.
