'Earthquake'
directive will prohibit EU states from signing deals with Israel unless
settlement exclusion clause is included
guardian.co.uk,
Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem, Tuesday 16 July 2013
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| The directive covers all areas of co-operation between the EU and Israel, including economics, science and culture, but excludes trade. Photograph: Reuters/Corbis |
Future
agreements between the European Union and Israel must include the explicit
exclusion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank or East Jerusalem, according
to a new EU directive described by an Israeli official as an
"earthquake".
The EU
guidelines, adopted on 30 June, will prohibit the issuing of grants, funding,
prizes or scholarships unless a settlement exclusion clause is included.
Israeli institutions and bodies situated across the pre-1967 Green Line will be
automatically ineligible.
The Israeli
government will be required to state in any future agreements with the EU that
settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are outside the state of
Israel.
The
directive, part of the 2014-20 financial framework, covers all areas of
co-operation between the EU and Israel, including economics, science, culture,
sports and academia. It does not cover trade, such as produce and goods
originating in settlements.
An EU
statement said the guidelines "set out the territorial limitations under
which the commission will award EU support to Israeli entities … Concern has
been expressed in Europe that Israeli entities in the occupied territories
could benefit from EU support. The purpose of these guidelines is to make a
distinction between the state of Israel and the occupied territories when it
comes to EU support."
The move
follows a decision by EU foreign ministers last December that "all
agreements between the state of Israel and the EU must unequivocally and
explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories occupied by Israel
in 1967". All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
"The
EU is trying to force Israel to adopt its position on settlements," said
an Israeli official. "Israel will have to explicitly express in writing
the EU's position. We don't believe the EU's position should be forced down our
throats like geese." He said it was impossible for Israel to agree to such
a demand.
The
directive would affect "all realms of co-operation", he added, and
would result in "rising tension and increased friction" and
"create a lot of bad blood".
Another
Israeli official told Haaretz, which disclosed the new guidelines, the move was
an "earthquake" which unprecedentedly turns "understandings and
quiet agreements that the [EU] does not work beyond the Green Line" into
"formal, binding policy".
Senior
Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi welcomed the guidelines. "The EU has
moved from the level of statements, declarations and denunciations to effective
policy decisions and concrete steps which constitute a qualitative shift that
will have a positive impact on the chances of peace," she said.
"The
Israeli occupation must be held to account, and Israel must comply with
international and humanitarian law and the requirements for justice and
peace."
The new
requirements would affect the EuroMed Youth agreement, under negotiation, which
involves joint youth projects and exchanges, said Haaretz.
Another
example would be applications from Israel to the EU's research and technical
development programme, an EU source told the Guardian.
Israel has
become increasingly concerned about the EU adopting a more robust stance
against settlements. Some member states are pressing for an EU-wide policy of
labelling produce and goods originating in settlements to allow consumers to
make informed choices on purchases.
The
directive was a "big mistake", Ze'ev Elkin, Israel's deputy foreign
minister, told Army Radio. "This is more fuel for Palestinian
rejectionism."
Another
minister, Silvan Shalom, said: "Once again, Europe has demonstrated just
how detached it is, how it can't really be a full partner to the
negotiations."
The
directive emerged as the US secretary of state, John Kerry, arrived in the
region on his sixth visit in a drive to restart peace negotiations between
Israel and the Palestinians. He is expected to meet the Palestinian president,
Mahmoud Abbas, in Amman on Tuesday.
Unusually,
Kerry is not scheduled to visit Jerusalem or meet with the Israeli prime
minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. Some analysts have suggested this is because
Israel has signed up to Kerry's parameters for a resumption of talks, but he
still needs agreement from the Palestinian side.
However, an
unnamed Israeli minister was reported by Israel Radio as saying that
Netanyahu's primary objective was merely to show willingness to negotiate and
that he did not intend to engage in a far-reaching peace process.
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