EU ministers resigned to Israeli settlement building

Mon, 13 Dec 2010

Brussels- European Union foreign ministers restated Monday their commitment to the Middle East peace process, while appearing resigned to Israel's failure to stop settlement building in the West Bank.

Israel's decision not to renew a temporary freeze on construction in September brought the latest round of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to a halt.

"The EU notes with regret that Israel has not extended the moratorium," a statement read after regular monthly talks in Brussels between ministers.

"It is an acknowledgment of the failure of direct talks," Italian deputy foreign minister Alfredo Mantica commented.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat welcomed the statement and told reporters in Gaza that the it "is an advanced stance, which considers the Israeli annexation of any part of the occupied Palestinian land illegal."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague declared himself "disappointed," but added that "now, whatever the situation, we have to try to make sure that there is a way forward."

Argentina and Brazil reacted to the stalemate by recognizing Palestine as a separate state, but the EU is unlikely to follow in their footsteps, at least for the moment.

"We must avoid everything that could endanger the success of the peace process. This means unilateral steps as well," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt agreed such a move was premature.

"We would be happy to (recognize a Palestinian state), but the conditions have to be there and the conditions aren't there as yet ... I think that the recognition that is really important is of course the recognition of Israel, and we are aiming for that to happen," he said.

The EU expressed its readiness to move on Palestinian recognition "when appropriate," acknowledging a World Bank report stating that, if current institution-building efforts by Palestinian Premier Salam Fayyad continue, that moment could come "at any point in the near future."

In a further nod to Palestinian concerns, ministers reiterated that Jerusalem should be the capital of both Palestinian and Israeli states, and called on Israel to further loosen its embargo on Gaza by letting in construction materials.

The blockade has been enacted in 2006 and tightened in 2007 in response to militants abducting an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Ministers repeated appeals for him to be released "without delay."

The EU has so far been relatively successful in helping Fayyad, but the Gaza Strip, the other part of the would-be Palestinian state, remains an official no-go area because it is ruled by Hamas, which the EU and the US consider as a terrorist group.

Hague insisted that the leading role in trying to revive the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations should be left to the United States.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said US Middle East envoy George Mitchell would fly to Brussels on Friday to brief her personally after holding talks in the region with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

"This will continue to need the leadership of the US. But as I said, there is more the EU can do to work with the United States to bring successful talks about," Hague said.

Last week, a number of former EU leaders called for a radically different approach by urging the EU to sanction Israel for its settlement building, which is in breach of international law.

But that course of action did not find a lot of support, with ministers stating that "the EU remains ready to develop further its bilateral relations with Israel."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/358003,resigned-israeli-settlement-building.html.