Addressing inconsistencies in the EU’s approach to the Middle East Peace Process
- Defense for Children International DCI – Palestine: 2009/09/24
Photo: Dan Owen. Israeli military forces repressing demonstrations in Bil’in, Palestine.
On 23 September 2009, Defence for Children International (DCI), along with 14 other European and international humanitarian, development, human rights and peace organisations, sent a letter to EU ministers of foreign affairs attaching a briefing paper highlighting nine key inconsistencies in the EU’s approach to the Middle East Peace Process. The briefing paper also includes recommendations as to how the EU can rectify these inconsistencies.
The nine key inconsistencies and recommendations highlighted by DCI and the other organisations are:
1. Gaza inquiry – The EU failed to support an independent inquiry into the Gaza conflict in contrast with its active support for such investigations into other recent conflicts.
Recommendation – The EU should take the same principled position with regard to accountability for the Gaza conflict as it has done on other conflicts. The EU should call for all those accountable for violations of international law to be brought to justice and work to implement recommendations of the UN inquiries.
2. Gaza blockade – The EU has failed to stress the illegality of the blockade of Gaza, in contrast with its language recognising the illegality of Israeli settlements.
Recommendation – The EU should condemn the blockade of Gaza as collective punishment and state that it is illegal under international law.
3. The Wall – The EU has ceased criticising Israel’s construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since July 2007 despite the EU’s obligation to challenge it under international law.
Recommendation – The EU should resume regularly expressing its concern about the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its illegality under international law and reiterate its support for the recommendation of the International Court of Justice’s 2004 Advisory Opinion including requesting its immediate and unconditional dismantling.
4. Settlements – The EU has taken a strong position on Israeli settlements but has dropped its earlier calls to reverse the settlement policy.
Recommendation – In addition to calling for a freeze of settlement activity, the Council should again also call for a reversal of the settlement policy including abolition of financial benefits to settlers. It should also take further steps to ensure that any existing cooperation instruments between the EU and Israel are only applied to Israel proper and in no case to settlements.
5. Settler violence – The EU is calling on the Palestinian Authority to improve law and order in the West Bank, but not on Israel to enforce law upon settlers perpetrating violence.
Recommendation – The EU should urge enforcement of the rule of law by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority without discrimination or exception.
6. Intra-Palestinian human rights violations – The EU supports the Palestinian Authority’s security efforts but is silent about the related human rights violations and the impact on Palestinian reconciliation efforts.
Recommendation – The EU should condemn violations of human rights by both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas security forces and couple its support for the Palestinian Authority’s security efforts with an emphasis on respect for human rights and the political neutrality of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces.
7. Prisoners – The EU regularly calls for the release of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit but is usually silent about thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including around 700 Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons each year.
Recommendation – The EU should regularly express concern about Palestinian prisoners and their treatment, call for a review of their cases in accordance with international standards of fair trial and for an overhaul of the related Israeli policies to bring them in line with relevant international law.
8. Quartet principles – The EU has conditioned engagement with a Palestinian government on its compliance with the three Quartet principles (commitment to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations), although the Israeli side would not satisfy equivalent principles.
Recommendation – The EU should refrain from applying the three Quartet principles as preconditions for negotiations. The EU should engage with all parties involved on both Israeli and Palestinian sides.
9. Arms transfers The EU is calling for an end to arms smuggling to Gaza but not for any restrictions on arms transfers to Israel.
Recommendation – The EU should review application of the Council Common Position on arms exports to Israel and the Member States should refuse export licences for military equipment which would be inconsistent with the criteria in the Common Position.
If you are a citizen of the EU, please consider writing to your elected representatives demanding that the inconsistencies in the EU’s approach to the Middle East Peace Process be rectified, as a matter of urgency, in accordance with the recommendations referred to above.
