The E.U premises their condemnation on their realization that there will be no peace unless the PA is given what they want. But the Palestinians have no right to East Jerusalem or to the “67 borders”. or to a state, or to a “right of return”. The EU is prejudging the outcome. They are not prepared to leave it to negotiations. Israel has every right to build in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. The Palestinians are putting more facts on the ground by cultivating the land and building illegally than the Israelis are. The EU makes it sound like Israel is judaizing east Jerusalem where in reality, the Arab population of Jerusalem has been increasing steadily while the Jewish popyulation has been decreasing as a percentage in the city. T. Belman
The European Union stepped up its opposition to Jewish building in east Jerusalem on Monday.
In an internal document sent to 25 EU Consuls General in Jerusalem, the EU said: “Israel has left Palestinian neighbourhoods ever more isolated” and “by legal and practical means, is actively pursuing its [illegal] annexation by systematically undermining the Palestinian presence in the city,” London-based The Independent reported.
Additionally, the Consuls General suggested that they should be present during house demolitions in the city, attend demolition and eviction related court proceedings and “ensure EU intervention when Palestinians are arrested or intimidated by Israeli authorities for peaceful cultural, social or political activities in east Jerusalem,” according to the report.
The document followed the demolition of the Shepherd Hotel in east Jerusalem on Sunday.
“If current trends are not stopped as a matter of urgency, the prospect of east Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state becomes increasingly unlikely and unworkable,” the document continued. “This, in turn, seriously endangers the chances of a sustainable peace on the basis of two states, with Jerusalem as their future capital,” the Independent reported.
Criticizing Israeli policies as negatively affecting Palestinian life, the EU diplomats cited “restrictive zoning and planning, ongoing demolitions and evictions, an inequitable education policy, difficult access to health care, the inadequate provision of resources and investment,” according to the report.
Describing the political consequences of Israeli policy in the capital as being of “great concern,” the document added: “Over the past few years the changes to the city have run counter to the peace process. Attempts to exclusively emphasise the Jewish identity of the city threaten its religious diversity and radicalise the conflict, with potential regional and global repercussions,” the Independent wrote.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton slammed the demolition of the Shepherd Hotel, saying that it undermined US peace efforts and “contradicts the logic” of a negotiated two-state solution.
Being born in Germany, I know for a fact that the hatred of the jewish People never subsided after Hitler. It just continued in silence; and I’m glad I’m no longer part of this racist country. It’s an embarrassment to say the least.
No big surprise. This is what some Christian leaders have been predicting for years.
If only the GOI was as sure of this as you, Ted.
Where are Netanyahu’s speeches and sound bites asserting the rights granted Jews by the Mandate and UNSC 242? Why are these only mentioned by pro-Israel bloggers?
This a problem lying entirely at the feet of the GOI. By not asserting, as vocally, vehemently, and frequently as do the Palestinians, Jewish rights to the land, Israel is endorsing the Palestinian narrative and fast conceding the country.
Israel’s strategy in the modern era has been to collectively bite its lip (and often, bite the bullet) in the face of overwhelming political pressure to surrender territory. This can now be seen as a failed strategy. The nation is paralyzed, hanging on with the tips of her fingers as the wolves circle below, nipping at her feet and waiting for inevitable exhaustion.