PES President Sergei Stanishev said:
“The occupied Palestinian territory is not Israel. That’s not an opinion, but a statement of fact under international law, as reaffirmed in 2016 by UN resolution 2234. It is a shame that the US has shifted away from international law and now endorses illegal behaviour. No one can rewrite international norms on their own. It is sad to see the contempt the current American administration is displaying for rules and norms that where built-up over many years by all international actors, including the US.
“We stand by the position of the European Union as outlined by High Representative Federica Mogherini and we call on Israel to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power.”
The long-standing position of the PES is to support the peaceful resolution of all disputes in the region, working towards two states for the two peoples, with the holy city of Jerusalem as a capital for both Israel and Palestine. European Socialists and Democrats condemned the decision of President Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel only.