Israel’s Netanyahu to visit Italy and France

Israel’s Prime Minister is expected to call for a tougher stance against Iran’s nuclear programme during his visit to Europe, which begins today.

Benjamin Netanyahu, who took office in March at the head of a centre-right government, has seized on the current post-election unrest in Iran to advocate stronger global sanctions against its government.

The trip to Italy and France follows Netanyahu’s conditional endorsement, under US pressure, of the international plan for Palestinian statehood.

The issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is also likely to loom large, as it did during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington last month, when US President Barack Obama pushed for a freeze on construction.

It is expected that Netanyahu will defend his refusal to halt Jewish settlement expansion.

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tags: Europe, Israel, Politics