Netanyahu's Mideast policy damaging EU ties

[IndianaGreen]

Last update - 08:16 23/04/2009

Netanyahu's Mideast policy damaging EU ties

By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent

The foreign policy of the Netanyahu government, which deems unacceptable the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict as an outline for negotiations with the Palestinians, has damaged Israel's relations with the European Union.

The Anapolis conference in late 2007, which set the outline of the two-state solution, made it possible for Israel to strengthen its ties with Europe. The main expression of the closer ties has been the forging of agreements to hold summits with European heads of state and foreign ministers, and for Israel to participate in programs and agencies of the European Union.

However, an internal Foreign Ministry document last week stated that following Operation Cast Lead, diplomatic bodies in a number of European countries have called for a freeze on the upgrade, citing the pressure of domestic public opinion. Four European states have already said that if Israel did not agree to a two-state solution, they would oppose upgrading relations.

Under such circumstances, the upgrade would have to be shelved since a unanimous vote is required to implement it.

The deputy director general of the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Robert Rydberg, who visited Israel ahead of his country's assuming the rotating EU presidency in July, was told by the new deputy foreign minister Dan Ayalon that Jerusalem is reassessing its peace policy. Rydberg responded that if so, the upgrade of relations would be frozen. Rydberg told Ayalon that a European decision on strengthening ties with Israel would be examined in the context of the implementation of a two-state solution.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080464.html

[aquart]

1. Too bad he was democratically elected.

Maybe you want to hire someone to get rid of him? Or is your goal to influence Israeli elections from the United States (bit of cheek, that)?

WTF is the EU doing in this mess, anyway?

[grassfed]

2. cheek

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/41758



Avigdor Lieberman, Russian founder of the openly genocidal Yisrael Beiteinu party: U.S. to accept any Israeli policy decision

"The Obama Administration will put forth new peace initiatives only if Israel wants it to", said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in his first comprehensive interview on foreign policy since taking office.

"Believe me, America accepts all our decisions," Lieberman told the Russian daily Moskovskiy Komosolets.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080097.html

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. Well, that's what the Likud did to Rabin, isn't it?

Hired someone to get rid of him? Or more like brainwashed someone to do it. And Israel hasn't had a PM worth a shit since. :evilfrown:

[henank]

4. Wow! You're accusing the Likud of murder!?

How lucky for you that you're anonymous on the internet or you could be slapped with a slander suit.

[LeftishBrit]

6. I assume this is an extension of the very common allegations that Bush 1/Nixon/the CIA/etc....

murdered JFK.

I'm pretty sceptical about all such allegations - doubt that one could sue for them, however, or some people would be very rich by now!

[Violet_Crumble]

7. Rabin's widow quite rightly accused Sharon and other Likudniks of incitement...

How lucky for her she's dead or Henank would be threatening her with a slander suit ;)

[Sebastian Doyle]

8. The assassinations seem to have a lot in common

Both JFK and Rabin were on the path to doing things that would have put the respective right wing factions of their countries out of business for a long time, if not permanently.

The US right didn't want the Vietnam war ending before it really started. The Likud right didn't want peace with the Palestinians. (and they still don't)

And as I implied previously, neither country seems to have completely recovered. :evilfrown:

[LeftishBrit]

5. Are you serious, or are you parodying some of the sillier remarks about Hamas?

If the latter, well done for pointing out some people's hypocrisy. If the former, then frankly your post is a bit unreasonable. Just because a government is democratically elected doesn't mean it can't be crap (cf Hamas). And criticizing another country's government does not = interfering in their elections or bumping leaders off!

Israel isn't part of or controlled by the EU or America; but their relations with the EU and America are inevitably affected by the nature of their government - just as is true of international relations with any country.

[IndianaGreen]

10. Kadima got more popular votes than Likud

This is a minority government composed of the most extreme elements in Israeli society.

[Howardx]

9. elections have consequences

someone once said.