BRUSSELS — Heavy snow in Brussels the evening of Dec. 11 delayed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's flight back to Israel. So while waiting for Belgian authorities to clear the snow, Netanyahu briefed journalists on his exchanges with the European Union foreign ministers earlier that day. “I told them to stop pampering the Palestinians,” said Netanyahu, adding that he urged the ministers to engage in a new discourse on the region.

Netanyahu's two-day trip to Europe was planned several weeks ago, when Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri fled his country to Saudi Arabia, announcing his resignation. It was Netanyahu's entourage who persuaded Lithuania to invite him to the European foreign ministers' monthly council meeting in Brussels, behind the back of other European leaders. Netanyahu's people reminded Israel-friendly Lithuania that no Israeli prime minister had visited the European institutions in the past 22 years and that regional developments in Lebanon, and also in Syria, call for such a meeting.

Once the European invitation was launched, Netanyahu's associates reached out to French President Emmanuel Macron’s people. With Macron personally engaged in the Lebanese crisis, it seemed logical for Netanyahu to come over to Paris and exchange viewpoints on regional developments. The two leaders had discussed the issue of Lebanon over the phone in November and agreed to meet face-to-face for further discussions. Netanyahu intended not only to confer about Lebanon, but also, perhaps foremost, to raise again Israeli concerns over the Iranian military presence in Syria.

But President Donald Trump's Jerusalem proclamation on Dec. 6 shuffled the cards. And while Iran, Syria and Lebanon were indeed deliberated during this trip, the main focus became Jerusalem and the future of Trump's Mideast initiative. Shortly after the declaration, EU's High Commissioner for Foreign and Security Affairs Federica Mogherini stated, “The European Union expresses serious concern about today’s announcement by the United States President Trump on Jerusalem and the repercussions this may have on the prospect of peace.” President Macron chose a somewhat lighter formula, saying that Trump's decision was “regrettable.”