Given the serious questions concerning US President-elect Donald Trump’s future policies on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the European Union is now exploring a more independent regional policy as a basis for international consensus.
European capitals were taken by surprise, if not shock, by the election of Trump as the next president of the United States. German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave her qualified blessing to the president-elect, saying, “Germany and America are bound by common values — democracy, freedom, as well as respect for the rule of law and the dignity of each and every person, regardless of their origin, skin color, creed, gender, sexual orientation or political views. It is based on these values that I wish to offer close cooperation, both with me personally and between our countries’ governments.”