A senior European Union official previously acknowledged that the labeling decision touched on an emotional issue for Israel.
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“It is apparently an attack carried out for nationalist reasons”, said the spokeswoman, indicating it could be part of the wave of Palestinian-Israeli violence.
Abbas said: “Our people are deeply shocked and angered, but mostly saddened by these events aimed at hitting civil life in the wonderful city of Paris”.
According to Israeli authorities, the attacker approached their vehicle and asked whether there was water in a nearby spring before pulling out a gun and shooting them.
In response to Netanyahu’s move, EU Ambassador in Israel Lars Faaborg Andersen expressed “surprise” over the prime minister’s decision. The peace process with the Palestinians broke down early previous year, so the practical implications of the announcement were not immediately clear. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media. Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war from Jordan and began building settlements soon after.
“We see it as a boycott of Israel for all intents and purposes”.
The Israeli military raided a Palestinian radio station in Hebron on Sunday and confiscated equipment it said was being used to broadcast calls to attack Israelis.
At least 100 Palestinians have been killed since the start of last month, the majority of whom were killed during attempted, alleged, and actual attacks on Israelis.
An Israeli border police officer suffered light to moderate wounds and a Palestinian assailant was killed in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem on Sunday morning, the Israeli police said.
He said he received a written order to close for six months and accusing his station of “broadcasting programmes with the aim of promoting and encouraging terrorism against civilians and Israeli security forces”. A 17-year-old Palestinian youth, Ayman Al-Abbassi, was killed on Sunday night in a clash in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian health ministry reported.
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Secretary of state John Kerry met Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday in Jerusalem and Ramallah but he left without a breakthrough and said he would continue to press both leaders on the issue in coming weeks.
