The more they threaten , the more Israel must stand up to them. Israel should not allow themselves to be intimidated. And Bibi should not do a quiet deal whereby he agrees to not let the announced plans go forward. Ted Belman
European governments will respond “harshly” if Israel makes announcement following 3rd Palestinian prisoner release, EU diplomat tells Channel 10.
The unnamed diplomat said “there will be very little understanding from the European governments” if Israel plans to announce further construction beyond the Green Line next week following the release of a third group of Palestinian security prisoners.
“Israel needs expect a harsh reaction from the European governments if it intends to go in that direction,” the official said.
The ministerial committee tasked with selecting the list of Palestinian security prisoners to be released was scheduled to meet on Saturday night to decide on those to be freed late Monday night, in the third out of four such releases.
Soon after the prisoner release, Israel is expected to announce plans for construction beyond the Green Line.
Channel 2 reported that the announcement will include 600 new housing units in Jerusalem and 800 in the settlement blocs. In addition, the reports said, planning processes will be set in motion for another 1,000 units.
Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat responded to Israel’s intentions to announce construction plans by labeling settlement construction a “war crime.” Erekat said if Israel goes ahead with the plans, the PA leadership should apply for membership in 63 international organizations, including the International Criminal Court.
Erekat said those who fear the ICC should “stop perpetrating war crimes, including settlement construction, which is a war crime.”
Referring to the Israeli plans, Erekat said, “We strongly condemn this and consider it damaging for the peace process.”
One government official responded by saying that going to an international body would be a direct PA contravention of the agreement reached with Israel and the US, which paved the way in July to the current round of negotiations. On the contrary, he said, Israel made no commitment to freeze settlement construction, and was “scrupulously” upholding the agreements.
The US administration has made clear that while they are opposed to settlement construction, these types of announcements do not take anyone by surprise or contravene the July agreement to restart the talks.
Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On characterized the announcement of building now as “giving the American administration the finger.”
“There does not need to be a connection between building in the territories and releasing prisoners,” she said. “As long as there is no agreement with the Palestinians on the future of the settlements, expanding settlements is adding insult to injury.”
Likud MK Moshe Feiglin also said that settlement construction and prisoner releases should not be connected.
“Construction in Judea and Samaria in exchange for terrorists perverts the value of settlement,” he wrote on Twitter.
Once the ministerial committee draws up the names of the prisoners – all convicted terrorists who carried out their activities before the 1993 Oslo Accords – the families of the victims will have 48 hours to petition against their release to the Supreme Court.
It is highly unlikely the court will intervene.
The Supreme Court rejected a petition on Thursday brought by five members of the Schijveschuurder family – whose parents and three siblings were among the 15 people killed in the 2001 suicide attack at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem – to reconsider releasing another batch of prisoners.
“With all due understanding to the pain of the petitioners, their petition does not raise any legal ground for our intervention,” the court ruled. “The claims have been raised and ruled on in the past regarding the same government decision.”
Under the agreement drawn up in July, and confirmed by the government, Israel is to release a total of 104 prisoners, in four different groups, during the nine months of negotiations.
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.
@ yamit82:I agree
what do these housing announcements mean anyway? Do they get built, are they only in major settlement blocs that will be kept. Perhaps the euro and bb fight is a show to keep fools thinking BB is engaged in a fight for Israel; and yet I read of this exact agreement last spring from PA sources. the announcements are obviously meant to make the terror releases acceptable. It shows what contempt BB has for israelis. Make a housing announcement and they buy anything, just never deliver, OR in the case of Pollard say the US lied in committing to his release at Wye. IN this case all 3 parties knew of the other parties positions re settlements. The PA and Israel signed to different understandings for public consumption so they could deny things later and blame it on the US, which is obviously ok with the US.
yamit82 Said:
Yes, Yamit, they are that stupid. Their Jew-hatred blinds them of their logic and turns them into raging Nazi savages.
E.U. Predicts Anemic Growth and High Unemployment in 2014
EU economic forecasts for 2013, 2014, 2015
(BRUSSELS) – The European Commission issued its latest economic forecasts for the 17-nation eurozone and the wider 28-member European Union on Tuesday.
Here are the main figures for this year, 2014 and 2015, with the Commission’s previous estimates for 2013 and next year in brackets.
The eurozone economy is expected to shrink 0.4 percent this year, unchanged from the previous estimate given in May, and grow 1.1 percent in 2014, down from the 1.2 percent given earlier.
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Israel purchases some 22 $billion from EU. What are they going to do to make up that 22 Billion. It’s not as if they were booming economically. Losing Israel will raise the unemployment rate at least 1% and add to deficits in some countries. They may hate us but are they THAT Stupid? There is little Israel imports from the EU we can’t get elsewhere. Israels exports for the most part are niche products unique to Israel or because we produce better or cheaper products.
EU is well aware of our gas and oil finds and potential, they would rather remain under Putins boot?
If you ask me I call it empty threats and bluster. They are shooting blanks/ If I am correct our problem is only BB. He hides from his own reflection in the mirror.
I wish our politicians knew how to play hardball and mean it.
The Bank of Israel is sitting on $$$$ Reserves well over 100 $$ Billion dollars. We could easily make up any financial losses incurred by punitive policies against our business and manufacturing sectors were they to level sanctions against Israel.
In the world today once you lose markets and customers it’s very difficult to retrieve them back later.
Israel should also take out of the Palis hide any financial losses incurred through their prompting or even without their prompting, JUST STICK IT TO THEM AND LET THE EU, COVER THEIR SHORTFALL. Israel has many options to effect payback to the EU. We are far from powerless.
Fuck Europe.
When does Israel realize the more they cave to pressure, the more demands will be made? Why allow themselves to be pushed around by an increasingly powerless, decaying Europe?
Israel releases mass murderers and backs off on construction plans. Again I ask, what is the west demanding from the “palestinian” side?
The Europeans haven’t caught on that this is PR for Netanyahu.
They still need to show the Arabs they detest the Jews even more than the Arabs do.
Once Israel has released the latest batch of killers of Jewish children from its prisons, we’ll still be no closer to peace in our time.
What is the justification for Israel to release so many terrorists? There does not even seem to be any benefit for Israel except the humiliation of bowing to pressure. Our enemies have historically intimidated Jews and pressured us to cooperate in our own destruction. We collaborate in the hope that we will then be left alone. We never learn that appeasement only buys a little time but increases the pressure for still more concessions.
Announce the housing. If the Nazis of the EU impose an embargo, then sink any European shipping in the Eastern Mediterranean, and blow up any Arab oil or gas pipelines that feed Europe.