Former EU leaders call to sanction and boycott Israel
Twenty-six former European Union leaders, including the EU’s former top diplomat, Javier Solana, issued a letter last week calling for boycotts and sanctions targeting Israel due to settlement construction.
According to the letter, which was addressed to EU leaders, the Jewish state, “like any other state,” ought to be slapped with “the consequences” and “a price tag” for its construction of housing in the West Bank.
Ten former European leaders were among the signatories of the December 6 letter, including Germany’s former president Richard von Weizsäcker and ex-chancellor Helmut Schmidt, former Irish president Mary Robinson, former Spanish prime minister Felipe Gonzalez and Thorvald Stoltenberg, an ex-Norwegian foreign and defense minister.
The 26 signatories called for the EU to prohibit import of products made in settlements, and demanded that Israel fund the bulk of aid to Palestinians. The letter also urged the EU to make an upgrade of relations with Israel contingent on the cessation of settlement construction.
“Israel’s continuation of settlement activity... poses an existential threat to the prospects of establishing a sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian state,” the letter read.
Meanwhile, Catherine Ashton, the EU’s head of foreign affairs, wrote, “The EU position on settlements is clear: They are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. Recent settlement related developments, including in east Jerusalem, contradict the efforts by the international community for successful negotiations.”
No comments:
Post a Comment