EU flags in front of the European Commission building in Brussels. Photo: Amio Cajander via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The European Union urged Israelis and Palestinians to restart peace talks.

“The EU urges the parties to use the coming weeks to find the common ground and political strength needed to resume this process and to make the necessary bold decisions,” said an EU statement issued Monday at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.

The EU also warned Israel about settlement construction in the West Bank.

“The EU calls on all sides to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid any unilateral action which may further undermine peace efforts and the viability of a two-state-solution, such as continued settlement expansion,” the statement said.

On the unity talks between Fatah and Hamas, the EU welcomed reconciliation between the two Palestinian factions, saying it has “consistently supported intra-Palestinian reconciliation on clear and certain terms.”