Foreign ministers from the EU states Monday agreed on a statement on the derailed Middle East peace process and Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. Disagreements over the text were hammered out with some member-states calling the original statement too critical of Israel. “We unanimously adopted [the statement], that’s a good and common basis for our shared position and our engagement in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini commented after the meeting in Brussels. The Palestinian and Israeli authorities both expressed reserved satisfaction with this diplomatic development by the EU. The text adopted expresses the EU’s deep concern over continuing violence and calls upon both parties in the conflict to take responsibility for their actions. The document expresses the EU’s confidence violence can be avoided through renewed dialogue.