Earthquake diplomatic moveEU calls on Israel recognizeWB settlements not partofIsrael

In ‘earthquake’ diplomatic move, EU calls on Israel to ‘recognize in writing that the West Bank settlements are not part of Israel’

"Huge news out of Europe. Effective Friday, a new European Union directive with a "territorial clause" bans all EU funding of projects in territories occupied by Israel since the '67 war: the West Bank including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. The new directive(pdf), which covers all areas of co-operation between the EU and Israel, culture, academia, sports, economics and science, requires the Israeli government to "recognize in writing that the West Bank settlements are not part of Israel."

Harriet Sherwood reporting for the Guardian: EU takes tougher stance on Israeli settlements Future agreements between the European Union and Israel must include the explicit exclusion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank or East Jerusalem, according to a new EU directive described by an Israeli official as an "earthquake".

The EU guidelines, adopted on 30 June, will prohibit the issuing of grants, funding, prizes or scholarships unless a settlement exclusion clause is included. Israeli institutions and bodies situated across the pre-1967 Green Line will be automatically ineligible.

The Israeli government will be required to state in any future agreements with the EU that settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are outside the state of Israel.

The directive, part of the 2014-20 financial framework, covers all areas of co-operation between the EU and Israel, including economics, science, culture, sports and academia. It does not cover trade, such as produce and goods originating in settlements.

An EU statement said the guidelines "set out the territorial limitations under which the commission will award EU support to Israeli entities … Concern has been expressed in Europe that Israeli entities in the occupied territories could benefit from EU support. The purpose of these guidelines is to make a distinction between the state of Israel and the occupied territories when it comes to EU support."

So, the rules do not apply to trade in the private sector, which includes settlement produce. Nonetheless Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi characterized the new rules as "significant":


"The EU has moved from the level of statements, declarations and denunciations to effective policy decisions and concrete steps which constitute a qualitative shift that will have a positive impact on the chances of peace," said Ms Ashrawi.

Israeli officials sound stunned. "We are not ready to sign on this clause."

And: "the result could be a halt to all cooperation in economics, science, culture, sports and academia."

Barak Ravid reporting for Haaretz:


A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the new ruling, which was published on June 30, as an "earthquake."

....

"This is the first time such an official, explicit guideline has been published by the European Union bodies," the senior official said. "Until today there were understandings and quiet agreements that the Union does not work beyond the Green Line [the pre-1967-war border]; now this has become a formal, binding policy."

The official noted that the significance of the regulation is both practical and political: From now on, if the Israeli government wants to sign agreements with the European Union or one of its member states, it will have to recognize in writing that the West Bank settlements are not part of Israel.

In the Prime Minister's Office and Foreign Ministry there is great tension and anxiety over the new regulation and its implications for Israeli-EU relations. The efforts of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin to stop the move have all failed. Senior EU officials say they would like to hold talks with Israel concerning the new guideline, but since it will go into effect by the end of this week, the chance of its being amended is extremely slim.

"We will have to decide what to do from this day forward," a senior Israeli official said. "We are not ready to sign on this clause in our agreements with the European Union. We can say this to the Europeans, but the result could be a halt to all cooperation in economics, science, culture, sports and academia. This would cause severe damage to Israel."

In a separate article Ravid also reports, according to US officials, the EU will go further likely requiring the labeling of "settlement goods," if John Kerry's efforts to "kick start the peace talks" fail. And that would impact economic trade.

Omar Barghouti, in communication with Mondoweiss, welcomed the new directive while reminding the EU is "obliged, morally and legally, to do much more":

Given the EU's profound complicity at all levels in maintaining Israel's regime of occupation, colonization and apartheid, these guidelines constitute a bare minimal step in the right direction that may open the door to more effective boycotts against Israel in the future. We welcome them, but we also must soberly remind the European establishment that it is obliged, morally and legally, to do much more on the ground to atone for its role in Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people...."

http://mondoweiss.net/2013/07/in-ea...-bank-settlements-are-not-part-of-israel.html

Here is a link to the full EU Guidelines

http://www.eccpalestine.org/wp-cont...-on-IL-and-EU-funding-instruments-compact.pdf

What these EU guidelines illustrate is Israel's deliberate violations of intl law in Palestine will not be allowed to go on indefinitely.

The intl community has recognized for decades now that the Palestinian people, not Israel, have sovereignty rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which consists of East Jerusalem and the West Bank and Gaza.

More is coming from the EU, I cant wait to see what comes next!

I cannot get that chant of Palestinians and activists speaking out for freedom for Palestine in demonstrations in the US out of my head, it goes like this, "From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free!"

Sherri

 

These are the first three guidelines.

1. These guidelines set out the conditions under which the Commission will implement key requirements for the award of EU support to Israeli entities or to their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967. Their aim is to ensure the respect of EU positions and commitments in conformity with international law on the non-recognition by the EU of Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967. These guidelines are without prejudice to other requirements established by EU legislation.

2. The territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 comprise the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

3. The EU does not recognise Israel’s sovereignty over any of the territories referred to in point 2 and does not consider them to be part of Israel’s territory , irrespective of their legal status under domestic Israeli law. The EU has made it clear that it will not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders, other than those agreed by the parties to the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP). The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council has underlined the importance of limiting the
application of agreements with Israel to the territory of Israel as recognised by the EU."

http://www.eccpalestine.org/wp-cont...-on-IL-and-EU-funding-instruments-compact.pdf

 

Ashrawi praises 'significant' EU directive on settlements. BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- PLO official Hanan Ashrawi on Tuesday welcomed a directive by the European Union which will ban dealings with Israeli settlements and require future contracts to include a clause stating that settlements are not part of the Israeli state."We welcome this significant move that calls for all EU projects to be conducted within pre-1967 lines and not in East Jerusalem, the West Bank or Golan Heights," Ashrawi said."This includes the prohibition of funding, cooperation and research funding, among other things, to any individual or institution in the illegal settlements."The EU has moved from statements and condemnation "to effective policy decisions and concrete steps which constitute a qualitative shift that will have a positive impact on the chances of peace," Ashrawi said."The Israeli occupation must be held to account, and Israel must comply with international and humanitarian law and the requirements for justice and peace."The Israeli government is more committed to settlements than to peace, the PLO official stressed, adding that international law requires Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders and cease settlement activity." It is thus Israel that holds the key to peace; it can either pursue the path of impunity, entitlement, and oppression, or it can relinquish the territories it occupies in 1967 and join the global community as an equal and not as a rogue state."The new legislation will go into effect on Friday and builds upon conclusions from the EU Foreign Affairs Council's conclusion from last year." http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=614328

 

This is from an article discussing the EUs recent actions: "Let’s move to Israel’s other ally: Europe. On(*)July 16, some(*)earth-shattering news(*)was published in Israel. After a long period of threats, the Europeans are shifting into action.(*)The European Union has decided(*)to prevent any funding or commercial ties with Israeli bodies operating across the Green Line, employing workers that live there or having commercial ties with the settlements.Some people in Israel called this step an “earthquake.” Another move, namely labeling products manufactured across the Green Line, could follow. For many years, the people in Israel have talked about the possibility that the world would at one point switch to real actions in connection with boycotting Israel. The European directive(*)is one step in that direction.The initial Israeli response was one of shock and rage. The Europeans have no grasp of reality — former foreign minister and current Minister of Water and Energy Silvan Shalom said July 16. At this rate, they will never be able to take part in the diplomatic negotiations, he added.The problem is that for(*)all their lecturing to the Europeans, Israelis themselves fail to recognize a regrettable truth: They’re the ones who don’t have a grasp of reality. It is Israel that loses its legitimacy. Truth be told, the Israeli assertions to the effect that there is no connection between violence in the Middle East and in Israel have been proven to be correct.The bloodbaths in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and many other places lend perspective to(*)the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, proving that of all the forces and organizations of the beleaguered Middle East, the Israel Defense Forces are the most moral and ethical military, that Israel is the only genuine democracy with a reliable judiciary and upright values, and so on and so forth. And it’s also true that the Palestinians had waged war and terror even before the “occupation." The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded before the Six-Day War. It’s all true, and today, more than ever before, the world has come to that realization, too.Regrettably, however, all of this is irrelevant in relation to the settlements. Israelis are practical people who live one day to the next. “No worries” is the most common and current turn of phrase in the Israeli vernacular. The gentiles will make threats, but we shall overcome. In the end, it will all be good. The "strength of Israel will not lie" (Book of Samuel I, Chapter 15, verse 29).Israelis are unable to fathom that the whole world — from the US to Russia to China, Europe, Africa and South America — is united in its stand not to recognize the areas occupied in the Six-Day War as Israeli territory. This is occupied land. This is what the world has decided. This is a ticking bomb that Israelis ignore. After all, they’re used to living in an area replete with ticking bombs. And the truth of the matter is that they have learned to defuse them, fight them and prevail. The problem is that this bomb is not part of the terror that constantly threatens Israel, but part of a legitimate international campaign that — working slowly and sluggishly —(*)will eventually get here.Shortly before the European directive came out, journalist(*)Gideon Levy(*)published an article in the Israeli daily(*)Haaretz(*)in which he announced for the first time that he was changing his position and supporting, as a patriotic Zionist Israeli, the calls to boycott Israel (until it pulls out of the territories). In Israel, Gideon Levy is a mere curiosity whose impact is negligible. The article did not spark a controversy and was buried in the archives the following day.But then, the sun came up and Europe had spoken. This is no longer a curiosity. It’s not funny anymore. This could be very damaging to the stable and booming Israeli economy and blow up in the face of hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in the territories. The European directive(*)arrives with the return of US Secretary of State John Kerry to the region, and I’m not sure this was not a coordinated move.For many years, Israel has wanted to have it both ways, trying to have its cake and eat it, too. It seems to me that an urgent operation will have to be performed shortly in order to decide what part to give up. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/ori...tm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7793

 

I think the West bank belongs to Jordan.

 

Apologies if not entirely on topic but with Portuguese & Greek governments on the verge of demolition , Italian government being a joke , Spanish PM caught getting bribes inside cigar boxes (!!!) , the British and the Dutch greatly disappoint with their authorities, Bulgarians protesting and Romania again under the microscope of the IMF it all feels like 14th century again : Problem? lets just bash the Jews to make the peasants like us .

 

Barclays or the Bank of America ?

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Show us the references to ' jews ' in the EU directive or withdraw your sectarian bollox.

 

Sectarian? heh okay , i wrote Jews with capital so a nationality .

Isn't this Jew bashing ?

 

There is no ' jewish ' nationality

No.

 

Jordan as in Katie Price?

 

Nope I think it's
HaBeinleumi Bank and Bank Otsar HaHayal.

 

No, it's Europe finally having the balls to speak out and tell Israel, in no uncertain terms, that we won't deal with criminals-whether they're Israeli criminals or otherwise makes no difference. This is long overdue and very welcome news.

 

PSC update: Thank you! EU new guidelines

July 17, 2013The Palestine Solidarity Campaign works for(*)peace & justice for Palestinians,(*)in support of human rights & against all racismE U produces new guidelines to prevent Israeli settlements benefitting from EU projects Thank you – your action made this happen! The EU has taken action to limit financial cooperation with illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. According to press reports, new guidelines set out that cooperation and contracts between the EU, member states and Israel must explicitly exclude Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.It is clear from reporting in(*)the Financial Times(*)that this came about as a result of MEP pressure. Thousands of you wrote to your MEPs asking them to raise these issues with the Commission. Your MEPs took up these issues after you raised them and so the European Commission has – for the first time – taken formal action against Israel’s illegal settlement activity. http://www.palestinecampaign.org/psc-update-thank-you-eu-new-guidelines/

 

Does anyone have an email address where individuals can write to the EU to thank them for these guidelines? I just spent some time trying to wade through websites of the EU, to contact them to voice my opinion, to object to proposals to designate Hezbolllah a terrorist organization, and was not very satisfied with my attempts to email them over that matter.

 

No wonder shysters like Cameron, Murdoch et al want out of Europe. This is proof-positive that people pressure via the EU can work.

 

You'd do better to obtain the addies of all Euro parliament members and mail shoot them. They're all listed.

 

Yes, the Brit government is well nut-crackered. It's ordered to behave lawfully by the EU and ordered to aid and abet crime by the US of AIPAC.

 

"It was amusing to hear the reactions of peace advocates Netanyahu, Lieberman and Bennett. Netanyahu hastened to say that the Europeans' step "undermines efforts to renew the diplomatic process." After all, he's a famous peace advocate whose whole objective is to sign an agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. That's why he ran in the election last January. And now those anti-Semitic Europeans are sabotaging his efforts.The panicky voices in Jerusalem are no negligible thing. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett understand that something important has happened in Europe. The barrier has been breached. The first sanctions have been imposed, so now it's only a matter of time until more serious and painful sanctions hit. Have we mentioned South Africa? " http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.536616. I am amused by reading the response of these Zionists to the EU Guidelines, too. Their fear and desperation and how they use it to their individual advantages, some things never change. Just watch how they take their complaints to the US Congress and AIPAC, we will no doubt but see them use all this as an excuse to get more money from the US.

 

"Bennett, too, has a sense of humor. He went on the air and bemoaned the "economic terror attack" that has "destroyed any possibility of negotiations." But he immediately added that we don't have to be upset by the sanctions because "trade with the world is only increasing because the world needs the Jewish mind." How much arrogance and chutzpah do you need to believe that only we have the brains and the goyim can't exist without us?Bennett has lost himself in an imaginary world in which China, the United States and Europe are dependent on us, rather than the other way around. It's a world in which we sell fighter planes to the United States and rescue it from sanctions at the United Nations.In this miraculous world, our situation is constantly improving. Bennett has not heard, for example, about the decision (since rejected) by European banks to ban loans to Israeli companies that operate in the territories. That was considered as part of an ethics review, a process that has become a norm at European companies.Bennett hasn't heard about the consumer unions that boycott Israeli products because of the occupation. They demonstrated outside supermarkets until several retailers in Europe and the United States stopped carrying Israeli products.Nor is Bennett aware of large European trade unions that advise their members not to buy Israeli products. And he hasn't heard about trade unions at European ports that refuse to unload cargo from ships that fly the blue and white. Nobody told him about European companies that shun Israeli companies due to the "Israel risk" – code for the occupation and its consequences. These groups are aware that Israel is dependent on exports, and they mention the boycott that brought down the apartheid regime in South Africa." http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.536616. Even using EU acts to justify refusing to participate in settlement negotiations.