Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday cautiously welcomed an EU decision to slap an oil embargo on Iran in a bid to force it to halt its nuclear programme.

A Jewish newspaper editor who wrote a column in which he speculated that Israel might want Mossad to murder US President Barack Obama for his failure to wage war on Iran, resigned on Monday after a global furor erupted over his comments.

''I believe in the future of your country. I believe the future of this great country lies in finding a solution in which Palestinian people can live side by side with the people of Israel under a solution that will bring peace and security for both,'' said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton after meeting Tuesday in Tel Aviv with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak.

The newly elected President of the European Parliament, German Martin Schulz, paid tribute to the memory of the six millions Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, during a special ceremony at the seat of the EU institution in Brussels.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday with the hope to persuade both sides to return to the negotiating table and to press for a two-state solution.

Germany's president Friday marked 70 years since a meeting that unleashed the Nazis' mass extermination of Jews, pledging to do everything to thwart ''murderous hatred'' of foreigners in the country.

Two Dutch journalists accused of secretly filming an interview with a 90-year-old former SS assassin will stand trial next month on charges of breaching German privacy laws, a court said.

Palestinian President Abbas is meeting with Jewish leaders around the world to increase pressure on Netanyahu's government to move ahead with peace talks.

PM's comments come in wake of EU agreement to impose oil embargo against Iran as part of sanctions over its nuclear program.

Palestinian President Abbas is meeting with Jewish leaders around the world to increase pressure on Netanyahu's government to move ahead with peace talks.