What better day to herald to the world the birth of a new settlement plan than the day on which the world, the one that keeps bothering Israel with all sorts of peace plans, is enjoying its Christmas dinner? On Dec. 23, we published the stern warning of the European Union’s ambassador to Israel, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, to the effect that a declaration of massive construction in the settlements on the day of the third Palestinian prisoner release, scheduled for Dec. 29, as occurred after the previous two rounds, could severely damage the process.
“The responsibility for the damage would be put squarely on Israel’s doorstep,” the senior diplomat told Al-Monitor. This was the message, the ambassador added, that he and his EU colleagues had delivered directly to Israel’s top political echelons.
