The European Union on December 8
adopted a resolution that for the first time explicitly calls for Jerusalem to become the future capital of both a Palestinian state and Israel. Backing away only slightly from a more controversial Swedish proposal to officially call for the division of Jerusalem, the EU declared: “If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states.”
it is illegal for an outside power to decide the borders within the former British Mandate of Palestine. Borders can only be settled by the occupants. and there never was an agreement that would make Jerusalem an international city. the closest to this concept was before the state of Israel and it was always to be balanced by a vote within the city. at the time of this legislation the Jews were a two thirds majority in the city... before being ethnically cleansed by the later power of Jordan. The E.U. might like to have a say, but they are legally bound to respect the territory.
http://docstalk.blogspot.com/2009...
"If the West Bank and Gaza were de jure part of the British Mandate, and if the Mandate borders [article 25] are the last legal document concerning this territory; and if Jews were forcibly expelled from the West Bank and Gaza in 1948 during a war of aggression aimed at them - then these Territories must be considered disputed Territories, at the least."
http://r-mew.blogspot.com/2009...
"Jerusalem is a single city with Jews composing over two-thirds of the total population and 42% of the population in the east. This latter number would likely be even greater had Jordan not ethnically cleansed thousands of Jews from the Old City (whose families had lived there for centuries) after invading in 1948. To describe Jews now living in this area as "settlers" with its obvious colonialist connotation is both intellectually dishonest and morally repugnant.""
The
original proposal drafted by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, a well-known pro-Palestinian activist whose country currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, had called for the creation of a “State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.” Israeli officials, angry over EU efforts to prejudge the outcome of issues reserved for permanent status negotiations, persuaded French diplomats to remove the offending text, as well as other references to a Palestinian state that would comprise “the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza.”
Israel has always maintained that Jerusalem will remain its undivided capital, regardless of any future peace settlement with the Palestinians. This has been the declared policy of all Israeli governments, both left and right.
The EU statement, which comes just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu announced a 10-month freeze on construction in West Bank settlements, will be viewed by many as a European attempt to pre-empt any possible resumption of Middle East peace talks by helping the Palestinians improve their negotiating position vis-à-vis Israel.
Although the 27-member EU has limited clout as a diplomatic player in the Arab-Israel conflict, the EU is the biggest donor of financial assistance to Palestinian Authority, which has been accused of
diverting the money to promote terror against Israel. The EU statement, which is predictably one-sided, could end up disincentivizing a new round of negotiations: the Palestinians may well be emboldened by the EU’s tacit acceptance of their key positions and be led to believe that if they hold out longer, the EU will support them on other core issues as well.
The EU resolution overwhelmingly supports Palestinian statehood. For example,
paragraph 3 of the EU text states:
“The EU stands ready to further develop its bilateral relations with the Palestinian Authority reflecting shared interests, including in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. Recalling the Berlin declaration, the Council also reiterates its support for negotiations leading to Palestinian statehood, all efforts and steps to that end and its readiness, when appropriate, to recognise a Palestinian state. It will continue to assist Palestinian statebuilding, including through its CSDP [EU Common Security and Defense Policy] missions and within the Quartet. The EU fully supports the implementation of the Palestinian Authority’s Government Plan ‘
Palestine, Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State’ as an important contribution to this end and will work for enhanced international support for this plan.”
The EU resolution also puts the onus exclusively on Israel to revive the peace process. For example,
paragraph 6 states:
“The [European] Council reiterates that settlements, the separation barrier where built on occupied land, demolition of homes and evictions are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible. The Council urges the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities, in East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank and including natural growth, and to dismantle all outposts erected since March 2001.”
(1) notice they don't have any problem with the fence that Egypt is building to protect themselves from Gaza.
(2) notice they don't have any problems with Arab settlements before an agreement comes
(3) notice they never have described any of the original evictions that Jordan did to the occupants
And the EU resolution presupposes the future status of Jerusalem.
Paragraph 8 states:
“The Council is deeply concerned about the situation in East Jerusalem. In view of recent incidents, it calls on all parties to refrain from provocative actions. The European Council recalls that it has never recognised the annexation of East Jerusalem. If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states. The Council calls for the reopening of Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem in accordance with the Roadmap. It also calls on the Israeli government to cease all discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.”
so the Council expects the perpetrators of the Holocaust do be the last word on recognition of a Jewish state?
At the same time, the EU statement says nothing about the Palestinian refusal to recognize and respect Israel as a Jewish state; nor does it request Palestinians to accept Israel’s offer to return to the negotiating table.
of course they don't expect Palestine to return to the table to negotiate. the E.U. and possibly Obama expect to negotiate for Palestine
Not surprisingly, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has hailed the EU statement, saying it marks an important stage on the road to Palestinians establishing an independent state with its capital in East Jerusalem.
Europe is doing the evil legwork that Hamas can't do because they are too busy killing Jews behind trees.
Chief Palestinian negotiator
Saeb Erekat says the EU statement will help to demarcate the borders of a future Palestinian state. “The statement is very important and essential, we can rely on it during our diplomatic movement to gain a massive European consensus and support over the demarcation of a future Palestinian state in the Security Council,” Erekat told Voice of Palestine Radio.
Israeli officials believe the
Palestinians are orchestrating a diplomatic campaign with Europe to coerce Israel into accepting the establishment of a Palestinian state. Military Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin, Shin Bet Director Yuval Diskin and other top defense officials say the Palestinian Authority is working with the EU to force Israel into a settlement “from above.”
In the meantime, EU-Israeli relations are likely to remain tense. Ireland, for example, is fuming over
Netanyahu’s refusal to allow Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin, a vocal critic of Israel, from entering the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Netanyahu says
high-profile diplomats will be banned from entering Gaza because he believes such visits grant legitimacy to Hamas, which seized the coastal strip by force in 2007.
Sweden is also angry with Israel. In August 2009, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet published an article that called for an investigation into
claims that Israeli soldiers harvested organs from dead Palestinians. Bildt has refused to condemn the article, saying Sweden has a “free press.” Instead, he
cancelled a visit to Israel, which was scheduled for September.
Bildt is now furious that Israel was able to persuade France to block his effort to create a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem. He said
Israel should desist from trying to divide the EU, which he insists is a “cohesive and clear force” on global issues, including the Middle East.
Bildt comments were in response to those made by
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said that Bildt wanted to present the EU declaration as his achievement before Sweden’s six-month EU presidency ends on December 31. “Sweden, which is completing its term as holder of the EU rotating presidency without any achievements or any significant returns, tried toward the end of its term to steal the show and steal the vote. That didn’t succeed,” Lieberman told Israel Radio.
In any case, Israel can expect more trouble coming from the EU in the months ahead. On January 1, 2010, Spain, which has one of the most anti-Israel governments in Europe, takes over the EU presidency. Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, an outspoken critic of Israel, has already promised to make the Palestinian issue a center-piece of Spain’s six-month presidency.
Soeren Kern is Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group via
hudsonny.org
