Anti-Israeli Swedish government pushes EU towards backing unilateral declaration of Palestinian state and division of Jerusalem
Sweden, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, is pushing the EU to make an official statement next week backing both a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood and also the division of Jerusalem, a draft resolution obtained exclusively by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper shows.
EU foreign ministers may now make a declaration along such lines at a meeting on December 7. It would be the first significant foreign policy initiative following the creation of a de facto EU foreign ministry under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty which came into effect today.
Israel is still reeling from the refusal of the Swedish government to distance itself from a report during the summer by the country’s top selling newspaper, Aftonbladet, which alleged an international Jewish conspiracy in which the Israel Defence Forces were said to be harvesting the bodily organs of Palestinian children for sale on the black market. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt was, however, among the first to condemn Switzerland for its decision on Sunday to ban the construction of Muslim minarets which he described as “an expression of quite a bit of prejudice and maybe even fear”, adding that it was “a negative signal in every way.”
Such shameless hypocrisy is par for the course in Sweden. But the country’s position at the helm of the EU now offers it the prospect of meddling in the Middle East peace process in a manner which blatantly takes sides against Israel.
Haaretz quoted the Swedish draft as calling for “an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable state of Palestine, comprising the West Bank and Gaza and with East Jerusalem as its capital.” Adopting the usual code for criticism of Israeli settlement policy it asks “all parties to refrain from provocative actions” and adamantly states that the EU Council “has never recognized the annexation of East Jerusalem. If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found to resolve the status of Jerusalem as capital of two states. The Council calls for the reopening of Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem in accordance with the road map. It also calls on the Israeli government to cease all discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.”
Haaretz further reports:
“The document deals only briefly with Israel’s announcement of a 10-month moratorium on construction in settlements across the West Bank: “The Council takes note of the recent decision of the government of Israel on a partial and temporary [] freeze and expresses the hope that it will become a step towards resuming meaningful negotiations.” Israel’s removal of checkpoints also receives only cursory mention: “Many checkpoints and roadblocks remain in place to protect settlements.”‘
And, the paper continues:
“On the issue of borders, the document states that the EU will not accept any changes made by Israel to the 1967 borders unless they have PA approval. The EU, it says, welcomes PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s proposal of a unilateral declaration of statehood and would “be able, at the appropriate time, to recognize a Palestinian state.”‘
Israel has, understandably reacted with dismay to the news, rightly saying that any such move would harm the EU’s ability to be taken seriously as a mediator in the peace process.
The Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement:
“After the important steps taken by the government of Israel to enable the resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians, the European Union must now exert pressure on the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. Steps like those being led by Sweden only contribute to the opposite effect.”
Frankly, the Israelis would have every right to be much tougher. If the EU proceeds with such a one-sided resolution — which both rewards terrorism and seeks to preclude a democratically elected government in Israel from negotiating freely about the status of its own capital city — I see no reason why the EU should be invited to play any further role in the peace process.
Clearly, that is a matter for Israel and Israel alone. But if the anti-Israeli hysteria which is now such a feature of bien pensant discourse in Europe is to be allowed to feed into formal EU declarations, the EU will have no-one to blame but itself if it finds itself standing on the margins when the real discussions about the future of the Middle East take place.
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To read the full Haaretz article, click here:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1131926.html
To read reviews about and/or to purchase my recent book on European hostility to Israel, click here:
December 1st, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Israel’s only secret weapon
There is not much point in - sorry for the “colourful” description here - bitching much for us about Sweden’s official anti-Israel (and anti-Semitic) line touted among the EU countries. As of course there is none for many other EU states’ as well. We are all perfectly aware of all this. We are not children and know what drives some of these European states. We have to stay calm and level-headed. What might be IL’S weapon?
Well, if this statement of an abomination, with all that it entails does go through, Israel must without any and all prevarication, obfuscation and ambiguity state or proclaim expressis verbis that from this point on any and ALL, I repeat any and all mediation between Israel and the PA is null and void and europe is terminally excluded from any and al diplomatic processes. Two can play this game.
Israel may not be able of course to dictate to the EU what it can or cannot say. But clearly it can say whom (and whom not) it will recognize in its official capacity to mediate in its conflict with the Arabs (Palestinians). A simple couple of sentences of a statement will do.
Now just consider whether such a response will come in handy for the newly reformed-cum-Lisbon Treaty EU for its prestige. We all know that any and all mediation in this conflict offers the most signigicant prestige to any actor or entity in the intl. community. that’s why there is so harsh a competition. I don’t think that the “new” EU will be too hapy at such an official line from Israel.
December 1st, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Spain is set to take over the EU presidency in 2010. Standby for more anti-Israel declarations.
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/92891/turkey-is-optimistic-about-spain-39-s-eu-presidency.html
Zapatero calls Jewish settlements “shanty towns”:
http://www.la-moncloa.es/IDIOMAS/9/ActualidadHome/2009-2/15102009_MiddleEastTour_Israel_Palestine.htm
Following their meeting, the President of the Spanish Government and the President of the Palestinian National Authority addressed the media.
In his speech, Rodríguez Zapatero expressed his desire to speed up the process to recognise the State of Palestine.
There are difficulties, he admitted, thorny problems, such as the shanty towns, but no greater than five or ten years ago, and so he expressed the need to work “intensely” and in full collaboration with the Palestinian Authority.
In this respect, he said that we are approaching a time in which the peace process is entering a “very important” stage and underlined that Israel is willing to move forward. He also added that he would like this process to be accomplished as quickly as possible.
He recognised the efforts being made by the National Authority and its “tenacity” in the struggle for a just cause in which many Palestinians have lost their lives.
He also expressed his hope for a future with two States and the peaceful coexistence of “flags, cultures and religions” throughout the entire region.
Finally, he pledged that, during its EU Presidency, Spain would bring to the table initiatives to promote and stimulate the peace process and will call for commitment from the parties. He underscored that Spain strives to achieve peace and will “take a stand” for the recognition of the State of Palestine.
Abu Mazen pleaded to halt the spread of the shanty towns and advocated an understanding between Palestinians that would overcome the current divide.
He thanked Spain for the help it has given the people of Palestine, to which the Spanish President responded with a commitment to maintain this help.
http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=391
http://hnn.us/articles/28503.html
Vidal Quadras Talks About President Zapatero’s Anti-Semitic Tirade
“It is understandable that someone might justify the Holocaust.”
On the program “Más se perdió en Cuba” on Spanish Radio Intereconomía, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, leader of the PP [Partida Popular or People's Party] told of an event that occurred a few months ago with Mr. and Mrs. Benarroch and the Zapatero family. Apparently during dinner Zapatero hurled anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic tirades so excessive that the Benarrochs (a Jewish family of furriers) had to call his attention to the extremist tone of his anti-Semitic discourse. Nevertheless Zapatero was ecstatic and kept on going until he threw out this pearl: “It is understandable that someone might justify the Holocaust.”
After those words the Benarrochs got up and left the [Palace of] Moncloa, where the dinner was being held, and since then have wanted nothing to do with the President of the Government.
December 1st, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Just a thought
It’d be somewhat good if Mr. Shepherd and/or the think tank under his leadership could possibly in the future suggest a way for Israel what it should do from a policy perspective conerning this latest issue on Jerusalem’s sovereignity and the seemingly constant delegitimization slide. What possible avenues at Israel’s disposal are I’m left wondering. I believe this is of as much importance as correctly and precisely documenting the situation.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:43 pm
If you have time listen to Dan Schueftan talking to a group of Europeans about [among other things] Europe’s behavior in the world.
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Catalog/Politics/Contemporary-Issues/Shadow-of-the-Iranian-Bomb/26757
December 3rd, 2009 at 4:35 pm
I’m sorry to say that the Aftonbladet story has taken wings and is spreading unchecked to other parts of the world, however much the original report has been discredited. Honest Reporting has picked up on this.
http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/new/Stop_the_Spread_of_the_Swedish_Blood_Libel.asp
The worry here is that where one could rely on reason to prevail,many people no longer seem to have it.
A programme last night showed how Georgia and Russia are today rehabilitating Stalin and rewriting a “Positive” history: Putinism. Frightening Orwellian stuff. The disidents to this idea appeared to be a quiet minority who could still get the “real” history books at over-inflated prices for them.
December 4th, 2009 at 10:36 am
More bigotry from Sweden:
Goldstone wins human rights award from Sweden NGOs
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1132754.html
December 10th, 2009 at 1:43 am
Sweden’s “neutrality” in the second World War was tantamount to collaboration with Hitler’s Germany. If Sweden had opened a front, the war would likely have been shortened by several months and many lives would have been saved.