Jerusalem is a city sacred to three religions. The EU position, reflected in numerous Council conclusions and clearly conveyed by the High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP), is that the status quo put in place in 1967 for the Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif must be upheld in line with previous understandings and with respect to Jordan's special role as recognised in its peace treaty with Israel. The EU has also consistently called on political leaders to work together through visible actions to contribute to calm and to restore the dignity and safety of this holy site.

Settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law and they constitute a major obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible. This EU position has been conveyed to Israeli authorities at all levels; privately and publicly, and is reaffirmed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334. The HR/VP herself has called on Israeli authorities to end all settlement activity and to dismantle the outposts erected since March 2001 in line with prior obligations. She has strongly criticized the adoption in early 2017 of the so called ‘Regularization Law’, which effectively authorises the confiscation of privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied territory and ‘legalization’ of outposts.

The EU has called on both sides to engage in a meaningful process in view of reaching a negotiated two-state solution, and reiterates its readiness to support them, together with its international and regional partners. This is the only way to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of both parties and to achieve just and lasting peace.