by Israel Hayom Staff
New directive that goes into effect this Friday says any future agreement signed with Israel must include a clause stipulating the settlements not part of the sovereign state thus not included in the agreement • Elkin: Europeans making a mistake.
New EU directive says any
future agreement signed with Israel must include a clause stipulating
settlements not part of the sovereign state
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Photo credit: Reuters  |
In the foreground, an
Israeli community in Judea and Samaria [Illustrative]
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Photo credit: Reuters 
Israel is concerned about a new European Union
directive which conditions all future cooperation agreements with
Israel on the directive that they not include Israeli settlements in
Judea and Samaria.
The EU is the first trading partner for Israel
with total trade amounting to approximately €29.4 billion ($38.5
billion) in 2011. The EU is Israel's major source of imports (34.5
percent of the import market) and the second largest market for exports
(26.1% of the export market), behind the United States.
Last month, the EU distributed a binding
directive to all member countries forbidding the financing, giving of
scholarships, cooperation, research stipends and prizes to anyone
residing in Judea and Samaria and east Jerusalem, Haaretz reported on
Tuesday.
According to the directive, any future
agreement signed with Israel must include a clause stipulating that the
settlements are not part of the sovereign state and are not included in
the agreement. It is unclear if and how any Israeli government
ministers, including Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett (Habayit
Hayehudi) will agree to sign on to any agreement that contains that
distinction.
The directive goes into effect on Friday.
David Kriss, EU spokesman in Israel, confirmed
the report, adding that the directive will be published on July 19 in
an official EU policy publication. In a statement, Kriss said, "On June
30 the European Commission adopted a Notice containing guidelines on the
eligibility of Israeli entities and their activities in the territories
occupied by Israel since June 1967 for grants, prizes and financial
instruments funded by the EU from 2014 onwards. ...
"These guidelines were prepared as a result of
the conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council of Dec. 10, 2012
which stated that 'all agreements between the State of Israel and the EU
must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the
territories occupied by Israel in 1967.'"
The EU statement added that the guidelines are
also conform to the EU's long-standing position that "Israeli
settlements are illegal under international law and with the
non-recognition by the EU of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied
territories, irrespective of their legal status under domestic Israeli
law."
The statement added that the "guidelines are
important in view of the new opportunities that will be offered to
Israel as a partner in the European Neighborhood Policy and other
funding instruments in the 2014-2020 financial framework. The European
Union wants Israel to play a full part in these instruments and it wants
to be sure that Israel's participation is not put in question so that
Israel will be in a position to make use of all possibilities offered by
the new financial framework."
The European External Action Service had
informed the Israeli Mission to the EU prior to the publication of the
notice and invited the Israeli side to hold discussions on the
agreements which are in preparation, the statement said.
A senior government official in Jerusalem told Haaretz it was a dramatic directive, calling it "an earthquake."
"This is the first time such an official,
explicit directive 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 armistice line]; now this has become a formal, binding
policy."
"This demand is not new and it existed in
previous agreements with the EU," Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin
said in an interview with Army Radio. "The agreements are bilateral and
its always a question of negotiations. I think the Europeans are making a
mistake, especially at this time -- and giving a tailwind to
Palestinian intransigeance."
Speaking to Israel Radio, Elkin said he was
concerned about the EU move, which would make it more difficult for
Israel to sign agreements with the EU. Likud MK Ofir Akunis called the
EU decision "unfortunate" and added that "the land is not occupied, it
is the cradle of the Jewish homeland."
Meretz Party Chairwoman Zehava Gal-On said on
Tuesday that the EU is doing Israel a favor by demarcating the border
that the Israeli government failed to delineate. "This is not a boycott
of Israel, but the drawing of a distinction between Israel and the
settlements and occupation. The decision is the result of a total
deadlock of the diplomatic process and continued building in settlements
and outposts."
Eliyahu Shviro, mayor of Ariel, located in
Samaria, said on Tuesday that "my policy is clear and known to all. We
are against any kind of boycott. Boycotts never achieve the declared
goal of the boycotter, but they do achieve more kindling for the fire of
disagreements. It is very possible that this is the intention of the
EU's initiative.
"Anyone who wants to bridge differences and
bring about human brotherhood cannot use the illegitimate tool of
boycott. Palestinian residents of Samaria are employed in their
thousands in Israeli industry. It would not occur to us to boycott them
because of their religion or faith or where they live. The EU's boycott
could even undermine this achievement."
MK Nissan Slomiansky (Habayit Hayehudi),
chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee, said on Tuesday that "at a
time when the entire Middle East is burning and thousands of people are
dying every month, I recommend that the EU deal with the region's real
problems. For our part, we will continue to build and develop."
The heads of the Yesha Council are calling on
the government to instruct the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry to
immediately stop European projects in Judea and Samaria until the
decision is cancelled.
Energy and Water Resources Minister Silvan
Shalom (Likud) said that "Europe is proving once again just how out of
touch it is and it can't be a partner for negotiations."
MK Ayelet Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi) said "We
have to be strong and determined. We will not operate on the basis of
the caprices of Europe."
MK Eli Yishai (Shas) also responded, saying, "It is
unfortunate that the Europeans are continuing with their one-sided
conduct. Their position is important, but more important are the opinion
and beliefs of Israeli citizens."
Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=10745
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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