Israel should ban all 26 former European leaders calling for sanctions against Israel, UN imposition of Palestinian state by April
European extremism against Israel reached a new low this week with a letter from 26 former top officials to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton calling for sanctions against Israel and the abandonment of a negotiated solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict in favour of a UN-imposed solution if Israel does not stop settlement building by April 2011. Ashton is signalling that there will be no change to current policy for the moment, but the tide in Europe is clearly now turning and the risk is that change along such lines is only a matter of time.
Former EU foreign policy supremo Javier Solana, best known on matters Jewish for suppressing a 2003 (EUMC) report outlining the growing problem of Muslim anti-Semitism in Europe, was among the signatories of the letter which was sponsored by former French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and former EU commissioner from Britain Chris Patten. Other notable signatories include Italy’s Romano Prodi and Giuliano Amato, Richard von Weizsaecker and Helmut Schmidt of Germany, Ireland’s Mary Robinson, Spain’s Felipe Gonzalez and Norway’s Thorvald Stoltenberg.
So, what to say about this? Mainly, Israel should stop pussy-footing around — ban each and every one of these people from entering the state of Israel or having any contact with Israeli embassy staff in their countries or anyone else’s. This is important for a number of reasons:
First, the 26 have launched an all out assault on Israel and Israel needs to respond. What European leaders fear more than anything is that they will be made irrelevant. By making this bunch persona non grata and isolating them, Israel will be sending a message that should the EU change tack along the lines the 26 are recommending, it will become as irrelevant to peace making in the Middle East as they are.
Second, Israel needs to make a very public statement against what amounts to a piece of unbridled bigotry. Let us restate the facts: it is the Palestinian side that refuses to negotiate, not Israel. It is the Palestinian side that has rejected two-state peace agreements since 1947 while Israel has accepted them. It is the Arab and Muslim states that refuse to recognise Israel, and not the other way around. The 26 signatories have thrown basic historical realities out of the window in order to sustain and support a bigoted anti-Israeli narrative.
Third, Europe has a long and sordid history of hostility to the Jews and this letter shows that the lessons simply haven’t been learned. The fact that two prominent Germans — former President Richard von Weizsaecker and former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt — are among the signatories is shameful. They should become the first two German leaders since the Second World War to be banned from Israel for hostility to the Jewish people.
Fourth, doing nothing will simply allow the problem to fester and grow. These people have the wind in their sails. Israel needs to take it out of them.
Of course, the State of Israel can and must choose its own policies. But the boycott movement is gathering strength and now has some very prominent allies. Surely a tougher line from Jerusalem is now in order.
Tags: Israel
December 11th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Yes they should be banned by Israel.
I am ashamed that Patten is Chancellor of my former University.
How many of these has-beens have lucrative consultancies in retirement advising oil producing countries in the Middle East?
December 11th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Although I totally agree with all that’s been expressed in this posting, I doubt that Israel will do anything significant…and probably nothing at all.
The fact that PM Netanyahu’s government seem to be going grovelling to Turkey to try to reinstate some ‘normality’ in relations with a state whose government leaders are more aligned by the week with the Islamic fundamentalists in Iran and Syria is, I believe, an indicator of how much the present Israeli government has lost its way.
And to add insult to injury, this attempt at mending fences with those who apparently backed the terrorists on board the “Mavi Mamara” comes as a slap in the face to all of us who stuck their heads above the parapet to stand up for Israel after the Flotilla debacle.
Shame on them.
December 11th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Robin , you just told it like it is .but i am afraid the”Annoyed Goy”
is right and nothing will be done.A very bad decision by Israel .But what do we know?
Sic transit….
December 11th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
As Europe falls further into the maelstrom of economic, political and cultural decline, so these heralds of that decline blow their horns with the tune of anti-semitism ever louder. When their countries need them, they bury themselves by bashing Israel.
December 11th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Did anyone ever do a study about who pays these EU individuals? In the US the book The Arab Lobby outlines how prominent US Arabists and University professors are on the payroll of countries like Saudi Arabia and other gulf oil state. I wonder how many Europeans who are so “concerned” about human rights but only if they can castigate Israel and their own societies for being Islamaphobic happen to get a huge payout from these oppressive Muslim regimes?
Of course, for these Europeans it is not hard to access their own version of Jew-hatred,and decide that they are not Nazis collaborators like their grandparents. Delusion does make one feel better about life’s choices doesn’t it.
I agree with the above commentor, don’t expect a backbone move from Bibi in dealing with these 26. For some reason Israeli government thinks that these people will go away if they ignore them…history should teach the Jews that those who hate us don’t disappear unless we do something about it and that God doesn’t necessarily step in to help us either.
December 11th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Is it actually true that Richard von Weizsaecker is one of the signatories? If I am not mistaken, before serving as FRG president, in his youth, he was a Faehnleinfuehrer in the Hitlerjugend and then served in the Wehrmacht during the invasion of Poland. Should he not have learned the important lesson of carefully examining the facts, before signing on to demonising Jews and coming up with excuses why it is morally justifiable to target Jews exclusively with repressions? If he has indeed signed his name to a call for sanctions borne out of a politically or otherwise motivated distortion of the history and true facts of this conflict, a distortion that is biased against Israel and its Jewish citizens, then this is a scandal!
It is not enough to expect the Israeli government to take the hard and necessary steps to deal with this scandal. There needs to be a strong, unwavering and relentless grassroots reaction to this.
Would it be possible to somehow get some some individuals who are intimately familiar with the history and current facts of the conflict to draw up an open letter calling on people such as RvW to respond? This letter should in as concise a manner as possible explain the root cause(s) of this conflict, explain why putting the blame and pressure squarely on Israel is wrong, counter-productive and smells of bigotry and then ask the signatories to respond how they can in spite of the facts act in such a manner. They need to be shamed. It needs to be demonstrated that their position is not tenable by moral people interested in achieving justice and peace. It could be published in newspapers and as many people as possible need to demand a public statement from at least RvW on this.
These signatories and in particular RvW must not be allowed to either willfully or ignorantly publish such distortions and propose action that will ultimately make the chances of a peaceful resolution even less likely and quite possibly lead to more blodshed in the future.
Peace must be based on justice and justice can only be obtained based on truth (i.e. the true facts about this conflict).
How could such action be put in motion? This needs to be done.
December 11th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
I agree that the Israeli government should ban these people. There’s little to lose. The Europeans are in a trance. We have to snap them out of it by dramatic defiance and assertion of our counter-narrative.
Wikipedia says of Schmidt “from December 1944 onwards, he served as Oberleutnant in the artillery on the western front. He was captured by the British in April 1945 on Lüneburg Heath and was a prisoner of war until August. During his service in World War II Schmidt was awarded the Iron Cross.[1]”
Wikipedia says of von Weiszacker: After the outbreak of World War II, he served in the German Army, ultimately as a Captain in the Reserves. He was wounded in East Prussia in 1945 and transported home to Stuttgart.”
December 11th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Israel does not need legitimacy, they have hundreds of hydrogen bombs. The Arabs should be concerned with the monster they created.
December 11th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
The only way Israel will get them Obama-Clinton Team, the EU Elite, the UN and the like off its back, is to now annex-add Judea-Yehuda, Samaria-Shomron and the Jordan Valley to the sovereign land of the State of Israel. As it is, according to international law, Judea-Yehuda, Samaria-Shomron and the Jordan Valley legally belong to the Jews anyhow.
This will give the world something to have its mouth wide open about, either for the lack of oxygen, apathy, lack of moral compass or words or wisdom; who knows, who cares.
December 12th, 2010 at 5:12 am
Richard von Weizsaecker’s father played a key role in deportation of Jews. After the War the son tried to defend the father who was indicted and sentenced as a war criminal at the Nuremberg trials. Even after the publication of the report of the Historical Commission, Richard von Weizsäcker continued to defend his father and justify his actions.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/nov2010/nazi-n05.shtml
December 12th, 2010 at 5:18 am
http://old.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-rubin052002.asp
Robinson was the driving force behind the disgusting UN Durban Conference which vilified Israel.
December 12th, 2010 at 6:15 am
Did any of these 26 individuals ever complain about Jordan’s occupation of the territories they now say are illegally occupied?
Jordan took Jerusalem and the west bank of the Jordan river by armed force in 1949 – an act of all-out, unprovked war with the published objectiveof destroying Israel. Britain immediately recognized Jordan’s “sovereignty” over Jerusalem and the West Bank – stolen property. This was a de facto declaration of war on Israel. Was this recognition legal? There was no intention whatever to create another “Palestinian” state – merely to expand the existing one, Jordan. Britain also included the territory in the Sterling Currency Area. Legal? Israel is the ONLY legal occupant of the territories, having been attacked from those areas, unprovoked, on the third day of the 1967 war with Egypt.
December 12th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
I agree with Robin.
A ban would attract maximum publicity in Europe, and expose the historical anti-Jewish activities of signatories like Solana, Weizsaecker and Robinson to the wider public view.
December 12th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Schmidt showed imagination in negotiating with Poland.
The defeated Germany was ready for fixing the Western border of Poland, and accepting loss of territories.
Can Helmut Schmidt inspire a Palestinian leader to enter into negotiations with Israel, and fix a border?
Can a Palestinian leader advocate non-violence?
After finding a Palestinian Brandt or Schmidt, we may have peace.
Most Palestinian leaders just parrot medieval violent doctrines, and the ordinary citizens bleed. Mrs. Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (née Bourke) is not listening.
December 12th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
It’s not only von Weiszacker who should be a little more modest.
The initiator of the letter with Chris Patten is Hubert Védrine, former French minister of Foreign affairs under Mitterrand, whose father Jean Védrine was awarded the Francisque by the Vichy régime. Hubert Védrine is well known for his anti-Israel and pro-Arabe views.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_V%C3%A9drine
” il se fait décorer de la francisque au printemps 1943″
December 12th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
‘Coordinated by Chris Patten, a former British minister and European commissioner, and Hubert Vedrine’
Two veteran haters of Israel and “Zionists”. I wanted to provide a few links demonstrating their animosity towards the Jewish state and her citizens and supporters, but there are so many articles out there, I really wouldn’t know where to start. This press realease, though, in which Vedrine is compared with Le Pen by the ADL is an example of what you’re likely to find if you Google Patten and Vedrine:
ADL Denounces French Foreign Minister’s Attempt to Intimidate American Jews
New York, N.Y., April 25, 2002 …
‘The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today denounced comments reportedly made by French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, as “baseless and offensive” to all Americans and called on French President Jacques Chirac to reject the foreign minister’s efforts against Israel and the American Jewish community.
Mr. Vedrine called for European nations to put “political pressure” on the Bush Administration, as a counter-move to American Jewry’s pro-Israel activities, which he labeled “intransigent.” He also attacked Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon’s policies during a meeting of European foreign ministers in Valencia, Spain.
“By attempting to intimidate American Jews, Mr. Vedrine has gone beyond his usual anti-Israel rhetoric,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “His claim that American Jewish organizations are not on the path to peace is baseless. His suggestion that European leaders make concerted efforts to influence the Bush Administration to distance its policies away from those of American Jewish organizations, is offensive and unacceptable. Given the current political climate in France, one has to wonder whether Mr. Vedrine has decided to compete with the views of Le Pen on Jews and Israel. We call on President Chirac to reject Mr. Vedrine’s comments.” ‘
http://www.adl.org/presrele/IslME_62/4081_62.asp
December 12th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
‘Richard von Weizsaecker’s father played a key role in deportation of Jews. After the War the son tried to defend the father who was indicted and sentenced as a war criminal at the Nuremberg trials.’
From the article linked to by Jonathan Hoffman:
‘Ernst von Weizsäcker also played a role in the deportation of the Jews, which was again confirmed by the report of the Historical Commission. When deportations were made from occupied or allied countries, the Foreign Ministry had to give its consent, which it did as a rule. Weizsäcker raised “no objection” when, in 1942, Adolf Eichmann sought to transport 6,000 Jews from Paris to Auschwitz. He also consented to a decree for the deportation of 90,000 Jews from Belgium, Holland and France.’
And from an article at Wikipedia:
‘Weizsäcker was charged with active cooperation with the deportation of French Jews to Auschwitz, as a crime against humanity. Weizsäcker, with the assistance of his son, the future President of unified Germany, Richard von Weizsäcker, who appeared as his assistant defence counsel (Richard was a law student during the trial), claimed that he had no knowledge of the purpose for which Auschwitz had been designed and believed that Jewish prisoners would face less danger if deported to the east.’
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/nov2010/nazi-n05.shtml
The apple obviously didn’t fall far from the tree.
December 13th, 2010 at 1:32 am
I remember Chris Patten’s article in CIF, written in the wake of the Mavi Marmara incident. One key point was to give Turkey a leadership role in bringing Fatah and Hamas together in a government of national unity – this, just after Turkish Pres. Gul had likened Israel to Al Qaeda, while his PM had been financing IHH, part of the Qaradawi-chaired “Union of the Good” which finances Hamas. The other was that it should be the Security Council driving a “peace settlement”, not a “peace agreement”, for which one of his weak preconditions was a ceasefire which, in Hamas terms, is no more than a temporary hudna, for which Hamas’ published terms are an Israeli withdrawal from all territory captured in 1967, i.e. more than UNGC Resolution 242 demands but exactly what Abbas is now trying to achieve.
Chris Patten’s article referred to an International Crisis Group report which characterized Israel’s treatment of Gaza as “collective punishment of the people of Gaza” and as “morally appalling”.
The article failed to reveal his co-chairmanship of that organization. I found morally appalling the executive summary of the ICG’s Middle East Report no.95 of April. Recognizing the Palestinians’ current reluctance to engage in peace negotiations, it ascribed this to a long-term frustration with peace negotiations, blaming that on Israel’s historic power. Creating momentum for an argument in favour of exerting international pressure on Israel, this travesty made no reference whatsoever to the Khartoum Declaration and what led up to it nor to offers made by Israeli governments, most recently under Olmert, to return 94%+ of territory, offers that the Palestinians had invariably rejected, at the cost of much blood.
Sadly, those, like Patten, who have been fed and feted at the EU high table do have influence over the current generation of elected and unelected leaders – Cameron, Clegg and Ashton. Their demonstrable ignorance of history, like Obama’s, propels them in the direction of the first easy option – bash Israel and give its enemies everything that they want.
This generation’s mentors are content to see information on Muslim anti-semitism suppressed and UN sponsored anti-semitism on display in Durban. They behave as if the Munich Agreement were an inspirational moment in history. I doubt whether Israel’s government sees it that way.
Yes, each and every one of the signatories should be prevented from setting foot in Israel.
December 13th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
According to this article by Dr Charles Tannock MEP, written in April 2004, two MEP’s, concerned that EU funding for the Palestinians was funding terrorism, requested an investigation. Chris Patten was against it.
The article in its entirety is worth a read but with regard to Chris Patten, Dr Tannock writes:
“But from the start, it was an uphill battle. Chris Patten, the EU foreign affairs commissioner, was against any investigation, arguing it amounted to ignoring Palestinian suffering. Ms Schroeder could not stomach that argument: she accused Mr Patten of “winking approval of terrorist attacks funded by the EU”. Zimeray and Schröder pressed ahead; after four months they had the 157 signatures they needed for a vote on the issue.
Patten’s attempts to persuade MEPs to drop the matter were rejected and the European parliament set up a working group to look into the claims. Officials in Brussels were already admitting they could not account for every penny spent by the PA.
When Patten protested that there was no need for further investigation because the International Monetary Fund (IMF) supervised the EU’s funding arrangements, Thomas Dawson, the director of the IMF’s external relations department, made clear it could not monitor or control every item. Even Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian finance minister, admitted the system was open to corruption”
http://www.charlestannock.com/pressarticle.asp?ID=440
December 13th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
According to French newspaper Le Figaro, Alain Juppé, the Mayor of Bordeaux, had to withdraw his support when he was appointed Minister of Defence last month.
http://blog.lefigaro.fr/geopolitique/2010/12/proche-orient-leurope-appelee.html
Has anyone the full list?
December 13th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
I believe the Israeli government should combat the arguments rather than the people – by inviting them for a learned discussion here in Jerusalem and showing them why the settlements are not the real issue. I cannot understand why our leaders do not proclaim, from the rooftops, the impossiblity of negotiating a peace agreement with a divided people, more than half of whom are sworn to destroy us and eliminate our country from the Middle East. Until the Palestinians can unite under one authority, recognize Israel and agree to negotiate a deal, how can there be any hope of progress? The settlements issue is the PA’s smoke screen, usefully covering there own utter dissolution and disarray. And the whole world should know this, not only the 26 old boys among whom it seems, amazingly, there are a number of Nazi descendents.
December 13th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Europe just loves its economic boycotts of Jews, doesn’t it?
http://www.mahnung-gegen-rechts.de/pages/staedte/Zittau/pics/Naziterror–Deutsche-kauft-nicht-bei-Juden–Tietz-Berlin.jpg
December 14th, 2010 at 1:17 am
We now have the surreal situation of ex-Nazis advocating boycotts of the Jewish state, at the very highest level of the EU, where our taxes go.
This is intolerable! Israel should ban every one of them, and publicly condemn them.
December 14th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Hats off
Most of us are just humdrum scribblers. There are others, the lucky few, who have a definite way with words. Max (#18) falls into that latter group. My favourite line: “Sadly, those, like Patten, who have been fed and feted at the EU high table do have influence over the current generation of elected and unelected leaders – Cameron, Clegg and Ashton.”
December 17th, 2010 at 1:15 am
as an irishman i am ashamed of mary robinson who preens around the world supposedly championing human rights….
December 18th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I agree with the “to-do” list. Some of these boycott initiators are practically antisemitic clandestine, but active Jew-haters.
December 18th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Ohhhh, just a teeny-weeny remark: Robin didn’t see a reason for publishing an earlier comment a few months ago in which, among others, I evoked the caricature in “TIME” Magazine from 1997 June that described Patten crying like a baby swine when the British flag was wound down from the pole – the time Britain’s “nursery” over Hing Kong ended. That was a fantastic drawing. A rather hollow, off-putting and stomach-turning figure that man is – C.P.
December 18th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
…Hong Kong, pardon; official withdrawal ceremony
December 18th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Further: I practcaly agree with those whop say Israel is likely to remain silent over this case in the misguided belief that calling attention to it more widely is counterproductive. but this is an incorrect and wrong evaluation. Lieberman, as FM, please move! You only have the courage and means to do it – even if just symbolically, rhetorically.
December 21st, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Here is the complete list of those who signed the letter. As usual, the French with 5 signatories (6 if one counts Alain Juppé who had to withdraw because he was appointed as a minister by Sarkozy)lead the pack:
1 Former European Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten, UK
2 Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Hubert Vedrine, France
3Former Prime Minister Andreas van Agt,NL
4Former Finance Minister and former EU Vice-President Frans Andriessen, NL
5 Former Prime Minister Guiliano Amato, Italy
6 Former Minister and Former Vice-Prime Minister Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, NL
7 Former Foreign Minister and former EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek, NL
8 Former Foreign Minister Herve de Charrette, France
9 Former Foreign Minister Roland Dumas, France
10 Former EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Austria
11 Former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzales, Spain
12 Former Foreign Minister Teresa Patricio Gouveia, Portugal
13 Former Deputy Prime Minister Lena Hjelm-Walln, Sweden
14 Former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, France
15 Former Minister and Senator Jean François-Poncet, France
16 Former President of the EU Commission and former Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Italy
17 Former President Mary Robinson, Ireland
18 Chairman Swedish Social Democratic Party Mona Sahlin, Sweden
19 Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, Germany
20 Former High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, Spain
21 Former Prime Minister Thorvald Stoltenberg, Norway
22 Former Director-General of the WTO Peter D. Sutherland, Ireland
23 Former Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Finland
24 Former President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Latvia
25 Former President Richardvon Weizsacker, Germany
December 25th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Ooooh I know or guess – because of the “rotten bastards”. Haha