Israel and the Czech Republic inked a raft of inter-governmental deals on Thursday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began a two-day visit to Prague.

"Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and threaten the viability of a two-state solution. They also run contrary to the long-term interests of Israel for peace and security," said Monday EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton at a press conference after a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels

The European Union on Monday expressed “deep concern” about “developments on the ground” which, it said, “ threaten to make a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians  impossible,” citing  “the marked acceleration of settlement construction following the end of the 2010 moratorium, the recent decision of the government of Israel regarding the status of some  settlements outposts, ongoing evictions and house demolitions in East-Jerusalem as well as the proposal to relocate settlers from Migron within the occupied Palestinian territory.” 

This Saturday in Istanbul, Catherine Ashton, the EU Foreign Policy chief will lead the P5+1 talks with Iran over its nuclear program – more than a year after the last negotiated attempt has failed because Iran wasn’t prepared to discuss its nuclear program unless the P5+1 removing all sanctions and recognising Iran’s right to enrich uranium.

World powers and Iran will hold the next round of negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme on April 14 in Istanbul, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Sunday.

The European Union denied Tuesday that its foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton drew a parallel between the French Jewish school shooting and the situation in Gaza after Israel slammed her remarks.

Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton for making a parallel between the murder of Jews at a school in Toulouse with Gaza.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton compared the children who were murdered in Monday's shooting attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse, France, with children killed in Gaza, Syria and Norway.

Israel led world condemnation of the shooting of three children and a teacher at a Jewish school in France on Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it "despicable murder".

The European Union expressed concern at the escalation of violence in Gaza and in the south of Israel.