EU's top diplomat reaffirms support to two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict

BRUSSELS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua)-- The European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday reiterated that the bloc backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Jerusalem as the capital of both parties along 1967 lines.

Speaking to the press before a meeting with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Modherini said it is in Israel's interest to find a sustainable and comprehensive solution to the chronic conflict.

The EU's top diplomat also condemned "in the strongest way" attacks on Jews "everywhere in the world" in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial decision to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel earlier this month.

Standing alongside Mogherini, Netanyahu stressed that Jerusalem has been Jews' capital for 3,000 years.

He hailed Trump as "putting the fact squarely on the table," adding that "peace is based on recognizing the reality."

"Jerusalem is Israel's capital, no one can deny," the prime minister said.

Netanyahu made the diplomatic foray to Brussels after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday, amid international uproar following Trump's decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The U.S. leader also instructed relocating the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city

At a joint press conference with Macro, Netanyahu insisted that "Peace (talks) will progress if the Palestinians recognize the reality of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."

Mogherini expressed "serious concern" over Trump's announcement regarding Jerusalem and termed the move a "gift" to extremists and to those not interested in peace.

In the past few days, protests and demonstrations have been held in the Palestinian territories of West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as in many other cities in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Israel has controlled the western part of Jerusalem since its inception in 1948. It seized control of East Jerusalem in 1967 and declared the city as its eternal capital in 1980.

Palestinians see eastern Jerusalem as the future capital of their state.

Jerusalem is home to holy sites to Islam, Judaism and Christianity, making it a focal point for many people around the globe.

The status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So far, the international community does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and no foreign countries base their embassies in the city. Enditem