Israel settlement policy a 'mistake,' Berlusconi says before visit

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Tel Aviv/Rome - Israel's settlement policy in the occupied West Bank is a "mistake" which could be an obstacle to any peace settlement, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told an Israeli daily, ahead of his three-day visit to Israel this week. "It will never be possible to convince the Palestinians of Israel's good intentions while Israel continues to build in territories that are to be returned as part of a piece agreement," he told the Ha'aretz newspaper, in an interview published Sunday.

"I would like to say to the people and government of Israel, as a friend, with my hand on my heart, that persisting with this policy is a mistake," he said.

He noted, however, that the events which followed Israel's 2005 withdrawal of soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip "should prompt some thought."

"It is not possible to evacuate communities to (then) face burned synagogues, acts of destruction, and inter-Palestinian violence and missiles being shot into Israeli territory," he pointed out.

The Italian leader arrives arrives in Israel on Monday, accompanied by eight of his ministers, who will participate in a joint cabinet meeting Tuesday with their Israeli counterparts.

"The Jewish people, with courage and persistence, created a paragon of democracy in the Middle East. Israel is part of Europe. It belongs to the West. It believes in the values of democracy in which we, too, believe," he told the Israeli daily.

He added that Italy was an "essential stop" in any tour that Middle East leaders make in Europe, saying that "we feel involved in efforts to find a lasting and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question."

Quoting former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to the effect that war in the Middle East was impossible without Egypt, and peace impossible without Syria, Berlusconi said it was time for Israel and Damascus "to act together for the sake of peace."

In this framework, he suggested, Israel would return to Syria the Golan Heights, captured in the 1967 Middle East War, and Damascus would cease its support for militant organizations which did not recognize Israel's right to exist.

"At the same time diplomatic and friendly relations will be established between the two countries," he said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/306762,israel-settlement-policy-a-mistake-berlusconi-says-before-visit.html.