Thursday 14 May 2015

47 years of military occupation, grave violations of international law

On 11 May 2015, The European Eminent Persons Group on Middle East issues sent the following letter to Federica Mogherini, EU Foreign Policy chief and Vice-President of the European Commission.
"Europe has yet to find an effective way of holding Israel to account for the way it maintains the occupation. It is time now to demonstrate to both parties how seriously European public opinion takes contraventions of international law, the perpetration of atrocities and the denial of established rights... 
If this means recognition of a Palestine government-in-waiting for the territories within the pre-1967 borders, or the setting of a deadline for the negotiation of a two-state solution, the EU should be united in support'... 
We are convinced in our own minds that (Netanyahu) has little intention of negotiating seriously for a two-state solution...

We also have low confidence that the US government will be in a position to take a lead on fresh negotiations with the vigour and the impartiality that a two-state outcome demands. Yet the situation on the ground grows steadily more dangerous...

Conditions in the occupied territories remain high on the list of the world’s worst crises in terms... of the denial of international justice, human rights and humanitarian standards...
The current financial and political assistance given by Europe and America to the Palestinian Authority achieves little more than the preservation of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and imprisonment of Gaza... 
Standards of living and human rights in both territories have sunk shockingly low. It is no longer possible for the EU to allow these conditions to continue without grave risk to its international reputation... 
Hiding behind American leadership on the politics of the dispute is unedifying and unproductive. The apparently more urgent crises in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen are little excuse either... 
 We seem to forget that the context in Palestine is one of 47 years of military occupation, characterised by grave violations of international law...

Europe has yet to find an effective way of holding Israel to account for the way it maintains the occupation.
It is time now to demonstrate to both parties how seriously European public opinion takes contraventions of international law, the perpetration of atrocities and the denial of established rights...
The EU and its Member States have been held back from a more proactive stance on Israel/Palestine by... their reluctance to get out in front of the United States in an area where Washington has always insisted on prime ownership...
The eroding international legitimacy of the Israeli approach and the instability of the wider region, requires a fresh examination of EU policy.
The fact that American efforts over more than two decades have achieved virtually nothing by way of justice for the Palestinians or long-term security for Israel means that European interests have also suffered."
"47 years of military occupation, characterised by grave violations of international law.”

Strong stuff! Pity it's taken them so long to speak out.

Does this powerful intervention excuse 67 years of existential compliance with a bestial status quo?

NO.

But it's a start.

The following 'eminent persons' signed the above letter:

Jeremy Greenstock, Ambassador of the UK to the UN (1998-2003)
Mary Robinson, President of Ireland (1990-1997)
John Bruton, Prime Minister of Ireland (1994-1997)
Javier Solana, NATO Secretary-General (1995-1999)
Michel Rocard, Prime Minister of France (1988-1991)
Andreas van Agt, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1977-1982)
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2005-2006)
Lena Hjelm-Wallén, Swedish Foreign Minister (1994-1998) and Deputy Prime Minister (1995-2002)
Elisabeth Guigou, French Minister of European Affairs (1990-1993); Justice Minister (1997-2000)
Hubert Védrine, Foreign Minister of France (1997-2002)
Roland Dumas, Foreign Minister of France (1988-1993)
Hans van den Broek, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands (1982-1993)
Frans Andriessen, Vice-President of the European Commission (1985-1993)
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Foreign Minister of Austria (2000-2004)
Miguel Moratinos, Foreign Minister of Spain (2004-2010)
Teresa Patrício de Gouveia, Foreign Minister of Portugal (2003-2004)
Ruprecht Polenz, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Germany (2005-2013)
Wolfgang Ischinger, Deputy Foreign Minister of Germany (1998-2001)
Peter Sutherland, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (1993-1995)

Better the top folk find their b***ocks late than not at all, eh?

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