EC backs down over settlement statement, apologizes to Israel

Date: 09 / 07 / 2009  Time:  11:00
Bethlehem - Ma’an -

Officials in Europe apologized to Israel's Ambassador to the EU Ron Kuriel following a flurry of anger at the Israeli Foreign Ministry following a statement on the problems Israeli settlements create for Palestinians in the West Bank.

A Short statement from the EC following its seventh payment to the Palestinian Authority to help the government body make its civil servant payroll noted concern over the effect of settlements in “strangling” the Palestinian economy. The phenomenon has been documented by several international bodies.

Israeli officials were irate over the statement, part of a four paragraph news release, which cited a World Bank report with the same findings. The Foreign Ministry called in the EC representative in Israel and reprimanded him.

"The press release unfortunately uses wording which does not reflect statements by the EU Commission," European Union spokesman David Kriss said Thursday.

Responding Wednesday night the EC said the statement had been issued without the knowledge of EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and apologized for the incident.

According to Israeli media the Foreign Ministry said in it was satisfied was the apology.

EU official says union will never give in on settlement issue

Just as the EC came out with an apology, Robert Rydberg, head of the Middle East desk in the Swedish Foreign Ministry, told the Israeli daily Haaretz that the EU “rules out any compromise with Israel over the issue of settlements, unless reached in the framework of a final-status agreement with the Palestinians.”

Rydberg was quoted in the Israeli press as saying it was “inconceivable for the international community to legitimize natural growth of the settler population, since all settlements beyond the Green Line were illegal.”

European-Palestinian delegation urges Solana to work on ending Israeli siege

[ 09/07/2009 - 09:38 AM ]

BRUSSELS, (PIC)--

A delegation of European and Palestinian lawmakers and officials called on Javier Solana, the EU high representative for the common foreign and security policy, during a meeting with him on Wednesday in Brussels to actively move to end the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.

According to a statement issued by the European campaign for ending the siege, the delegation stressed during the meeting the need for European action to pressure Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza, which worsened after the last Israeli war, and called for intervening to get Palestinian lawmakers imprisoned in Israeli jails released.

The delegation also demanded the abolition of European cooperation treaties with the Israeli side and the reconsideration of the step taken to boost relations between the EU and Israel.

The delegation also emphasized the importance of respecting the choices of the Palestinian people and talking directly with the democratically-elected Palestinian parliament and the government formed by the parliamentary majority.

For his part, Solana expressed the European side’s dissatisfaction with certain Israeli policies especially the settlement activities which are considered a violation of international law.

The delegation included former British minister of international development Clare Short, member of the house of lords Jenny Tonge, and head of the European campaign Arafat Abu Madi in addition to other European and Palestinian figures.