Foreign minister criticizes Israeli policies

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has criticized Israeli airstrikes on Syria and the country’s settlements plans in the West Bank. In an interview for the news website Times of Israel released on Tuesday night, Mr Schwarzenberg called plans to build settlements in the controversial E1 area “obnoxious”; the Czech foreign minister also said he would nit express support for Israeli airstrikes on weapon convoys in Syria, and never sanction a potential Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Mr Schwarzenberg’s remarks are the first strong criticism of Israeli policies coming from a Czech government minister as the country is considered one of Israel’s major allies within the EU.