Israel must declare settlements are legal and build accordingly

By Ted Belman

Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs said, regarding the leaked document reported yesterday

“It certainly was not on the ministers’ table today and it was not at the heart of today’s discussion,”

“There was certainly no question of isolating or sanctioning anybody, rather how can we re-motivate people to get into a dialogue again, how to start a positive process with the Israelis and Palestinians to re-launch a peace process.”

“Recalling that settlements are illegal under international law, the EU and its Member States remain committed to ensure continued, full and effective implementation of existing EU legislation and bilateral arrangements applicable to settlement products,” read the announcement. “The EU closely monitors the situation and its broader implications and remains ready to take further action in order to protect the viability of the two-state solution.”

 “the future development of the relations with both the Israeli and Palestinian partners will also depend on their engagement towards a lasting peace based on a two-state solution.”

Again, I reiterate, Israel must accept the TSS for diplomatic reasons but must insist that ’67 lines plus swaps and dividing Jerusalem are out of the question. That will focus discussions on these issues and not on the TSS in general. Thus we position ourselves that we are not against the TSS but only against the demand regarding borders and Jerusalem.

Plus Israel must disabuse the world of the notion that settlements are illegal. If we can establish a foot hold here that the issue of their illegality is not decided as the EU maintains, then building east of the greenline is legal until such time as it is otherwise determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Israel should also stress that she is for peace but will not cross her redlines. If the Palestinians want peace they must compromise. So the question becomes who must compromise. That issue will be greatly affected by who has the greater entitlement to the land. That’s why embracing the Levy Report is so crucial. Judea and Samaria are not Palestinian land.

It is not enough to declare redlines. We must act to reinforce our verbal declaration. Build, build, and build.

November 18, 2014 | 58 Comments »

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8 Comments / 58 Comments

  2. @ mar55:

    The videos were meant for all willing to watch them.

    Israel is host to over a 500 million migrating birds each year and the same ones who have been tagged return. They like Israel to nest. Israel so small you can ski in the North and have a late afternoon swim in the dead sea. A country of stark contrasts. Never boring.

  3. Thank you for the videos even if they were not meant for me.
    Israel has such beauty. “The Promised Land”. Living there is a dream come true. It is an archeologist dream. No museums needed. The entire country is a museum.
    A little speck of dust in the immensity of the universe, but a magnificent one.

  6. yamit82 Said:

    That said, Israel has become very proficient at this game. With regards to Europe we have in actuality given little away due to their pressure and have gotten much. We are the only non EU country to have a special relationship with preferred status no other non EU country enjoys.

    as this is taking place in spite of the enormous bad publicity in Europe and pressure on Europols to sanction Israel it demonstrates 2 things to me. One, I believe that the europols are trying to humor their electorate and are in fact under the table trying to minimize the damage they declare publicly. Two, imagine if there was actually an argument making the rounds in Europe that demonstrated the legality and legitimacy of Jewsish settlement. Imagine if the GOI actually propagated that argument publicly, diplomatically and legally. Imagine that some of those who are left in their dark ignorance due to the mute voice of the GOI might actually take the other side once learning the facts. Imagine the same thing in Israel where even many Israelis appear unaware of their own history.
    the state of israel gives everyone a basket to carry water when it comes to the issue of the legality of Jewish settlement. The GOI appears to not understand the difference between the actual implementation of the settlement as opposed to implementing a diplomatic, legal and educational campaign asserting and defending the principle. there is a step before implementing Levy and that step, with or without implementing Levy involves the uttering of the words in the diplomatic, legal and PR zone.

  7. yamit82 Said:

    Have to look at the big picture and not just headlines there is a lot going on under the public radar good and bad.

    yamit82 Said:

    62% of Israelis and 54% of Palestinians support a two-state solution June 2014 survey

    bernard ross Said:

    From your Pew poll link:
    61% support 2 state peacful solution just like the coalition gov

    Like I said, Israeli support and american Jewish support for the GOI position are almost a mirror image. American Jews are reflecting the official position of the state of Israel who is apparently reflecting the postion of the majority of Israeli Jews according to your poll. I can understand American Jews who take their cue from the state of Israel who appears to take their cue from the majority of Israelis. In any case American Jewry reflects the state of Israel. therefore, I continue to state that if the GOI spoke and defended diplomatically the legality and legitimacy of Jewish settlement then so would american Jewry. However, the real problem is that Israelis do NOT speak for the legality and legitimacy of jewish settlement in YS and hence I return to my original position that the prime problem is not the anti semitism of forreigners but the intransigence of the GOI in not defending Jewish settlement at least diplomatically. Everyday Jews and israel deal witht he results of these libels which the GOI ignores.

    yamit82 Said:

    If they were more supportive and militant in their support of Israel they wouldn’t be as harassed.

    If the GOI stated that Jewish settlement in YS was neither illegal nor illegitimate according to international law and then the FM called in the ambassadors to demand compliance withthe relevant agreements, then the harassed diaspora would have something to say to those calling Jewish settlement illegal or illegitimate. Like I said, when the GOI repeatedly ignores the libels they make all jews look like thieves.

  8. yamit82 Said:

    That’s a ridiculous statement Bernie.
    According to Pew survey a majority of Jews wouldn’t lose much sleep if Israel disappeared. Having some emotional attachment in not translatable into anything actionable of any consequence on their part.

    My “ridiculous” statement is affirmed by the pew link you sent to me, which I quoted and which you ignored. the poll on caring about Israel was more relevant as a gauge where you don’t have to twist and turn to figure it out.
    Let me repeat the poll you sent me from Pew results:
    bernard ross Said:

    43% say caring about Israel is essential to being jewish and another 44% say it is important to being Jewish totaling 87% consider caring about Israel to be important.

    If caring about Israel is important then it is more likely than not to affect their political support. You are grasping at straws when you look for a different poll on the same page that is less relevant. attachment has no meaning in terms of influencing support compared to caring. It’s your link

    yamit82 Said:

    Every time there is conflict here Israelis respond to the national crisis in total mobilization like IDF 110% show up for Duty American Jews for the most part stay home

    This reflects the need to protect ones life, family and property and not necessarily political support for the state of Israel, or for Jews, which is what the discussion is about. Many who served in the IDF from various sectors express disloyalty to the state. shin Bet just contradicted the PM wrt Abbas in an extremely disloyal way. If the Shin Bet head is wrong then he has been treasonous and working as a mole against his own government.