EJC President Moshe Kantor said this petition "represents a small minority opinion of European Jewry, while the great majority believes that it is now the time to place pressure on the Palestinian side to negotiate directly with Israel in a meaningful way, and to combat the existential threats in the Middle East."

In a statement, the EJC said : "In contradiction to the petition, the EJC commends the Israeli government's actions to help build a more conducive setting for peaceful negotiations and applauds the very difficult concessions it has made, noting the increase in access and movement for the Palestinians by removing two-thirds of all road-blocks and the settlement moratorium," the EJC, which is a representative body of Jewish communities across Europe, said in a statement.

"It is important to note that continued one-sided pressure on Israel does not encourage the Palestinians to engage in serious negotiations and only endangers the already unstable situation in the region," Moshe Kantor said.

"Europe can become an important player in renewing the direct and substantive negotiations, but only by marinating a balanced and objective approach," he added.

"While there has been consistent pressure on Israel, it is important, especially for the EU, to place pressure on the Palestinian Authority to end its incitement, rhetoric and hate education," Kantor continued.

"It should worry those countries that fund the PA that in the last couple of weeks a road within the government compound in Ramallah was named after the Hamas bomb-maker, Yahya Ayyash. European taxpayers' money should not go to activities that glorify mass murder."

"The EJC will continue to work with European decision-makers to assist efforts to achieve a truly viable and lasting peace in the region," it said.