Laborers work at the construction site of a housing project at an illegal Israeli settlement in East al-Quds (Jerusalem), December 2012.[/caption]Israeli officials have met with three top European envoys over a plan by the EU to ban its members from having any dealings with Israeli organizations operating in the occupied territories.
During the Thursday meeting, Tel Aviv warned the British, French, and German ambassadors that the move would lead to a serious crisis between Israel and the 28-nation European Union.
The EU has issued a directive requiring Israel to acknowledge the occupation of settlements in the West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem (al-Quds).
The move would forbid the issuance of grants, funding, prizes or scholarships unless a settlement exclusion clause is included.
The directive is reportedly part of the 2014-20 financial frameworks which incorporate all sectors of cooperation between the EU and Israel, including economics, science, culture, sports and academia.
On Friday, the EU published guidelines with regard to the plan saying only Israeli entities with no connection to the illegal settlements will be considered eligible for receiving funding from the European bloc.
The Tel Aviv regime continues expanding its illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
The settlements are considered illegal by the international community because the territories were captured by Israel and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied land.
The continued expansion of the Israeli settlements has also created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
By Press TV
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