Opinion Editorials, January 2012

Why Doesn't the European Union Pull the Plug on Israeli Trade?

By Stuart Littlewood

Redress, Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, January 18, 2012

Stuart Littlewood argues that given Israel’s reliance on exports to Europe and its contempt for the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which calls for “respect for human rights and democratic principles”, the EU should impose sanctions on the Jewish apartheid state but won't because of the power of the Zionist lobby, the obedience of Israel's stooges and the cowardice of the political élite.

The imprisonment and collective punishment inflicted on the civilian population in the overcrowded enclave of Gaza continues without let-up.

For example, those whose children were killed or maimed by Israel’s murderous blitzkrieg three years ago (Operation Cast Lead), and whose homes were destroyed, have received no response to the criminal complaints submitted on their behalf by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Not only that. They are still subjected to air-strikes, shelling or sniper fire on an almost daily basis, and live in constant fear.

A total of 1,419 Palestinians were killed during Operation Cast Lead, 82 per cent of whom were civilians. A further 5,300 were injured. Israeli forces directly targeted and attacked private homes and civilian institutions, including hospitals and schools. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights says it has submitted 490 criminal complaints to the Israeli authorities on behalf of 1,046 victims. “To date, only two substantive replies have been received. The overwhelming majority of complaints have been simply ignored.”

How would that sit with you if the same thing were to happen in the leafy suburbs of London, Paris, Berlin or New York?

The strangulation also continues. In theory there are four crossings through which vital supplies can be brought in from Israel and beyond (including the occupied West Bank) – Sufa, Nahal Oz, Kerem Abu Salem and Karni. Only Kerem Abu Salem, a small crossing in the south of Gaza, has been allowed by Israel to operate on anything like a normal basis, say reports.

Since the closure of Karni last March, the Israelis have made sure that all goods brought into the Gaza Strip have to go through the Kerem Abu Salem crossing. The capacity of this crossing, as you might have guessed, is insufficient for needs and its location means longer distances, longer journey times, higher fees and higher costs for Gaza's merchants. And of course those extra charges have to be passed on. Now I read that the Karem Abu Salem crossing is to be demolished.

As for the movement of Gaza’s people, the charity Oxfam’s latest Gaza blockade fact sheet (December 2011) reports there are only two crossings, one between Gaza and Israel, and one between Gaza and Egypt. Israeli security clearance is still required to use either crossing.

The Erez crossing (to Israel) remains open but most traffic has been moved to the Rafah crossing (to Egypt), reducing natural movement between Gaza and the West Bank. The overall ban on exit and entry is still in place.

For UN local humanitarian staff Israel is approving fewer permits than before the promised “easing”, while permit policy for aid workers and medical patients remains arbitrary, unpredictable and time consuming.

The report also says the near-total ban on exports continues, with 2011 exports running at less than 1 per cent of pre-blockade levels. It says:

In 2011 to date, only 196 trucks of exports have left Gaza. This is only 14 more trucks than in 2010 and far below the 25,480 truckloads of goods needed annually to meet pre-blockade export levels. It is also significantly less than the 400 trucks of exports promised each day under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. Four truckloads of strawberries recently left Gaza between 27 and 29 November 2011. Before that, there have been no exports since May 2011 when 1 truckload of flowers was allowed to be exported to the Netherlands.

If Western governments weren't so corrupt the answer would be obvious. Suspend Israel from the 1995 European Union-Israel Association Agreement. The purpose of the Agreement is to promote (1) peace and security, (2) shared prosperity through, for example, economic cooperation, free trade and free movement of capital, and (3) cross-cultural rapprochement. It governs not only EU-Israel relations but Israel's relations with the EU’s other Mediterranean partners – including the Palestinian National Authority.

To enjoy these privileges Israel undertook to show "respect for human rights and democratic principles" set out as a general condition in Article 2, which says:

Relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement.

This clause allows steps to be taken to enforce the contractual requirement regarding human rights and to dissuade partners from policies and practices that disrespect those rights. The agreement also requires respect for self-determination of peoples and fundamental freedoms for all.

Even the Israelis must know that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948, Article 13, states: (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state, and (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

But Israel, with its racist and territorial ambitions, shows the same contempt for the rules of association as it does for international law.

From the outset it had no intention of playing the game. It relies on the power of the lobby, the obedience of its stooges and the cowardice of the political élite to deflect criticism, overcome objections and lean on the referee.

In 2002 the EU Parliament did actually vote to suspend the agreement on the grounds of Israel’s violations of human rights. The resolution called for an arms embargo against Israel and Palestine, and condemned the “military escalation pursued by the Sharon government" and the "oppression of the Palestinian civilian population by the Israeli army". The fat slugs in the EU Commission ignored the will of the parliament, and consequently there has been no improvement in Israel’s behaviour.

It’s time to try again, and to stomp on the unelected EU Commission if need be. Israel relies heavily on exports to Europe where it enjoys “favoured nation” trading terms. So the EU could, at a stroke, end the evil occupation, the murder and the land theft, and perhaps resolve the whole problem in the Holy Land, by pulling the plug – as provided for under Article 2 of the Agreement – instead of continuing to reward Israel for its crimes.

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

editor@aljazeerah.info & editor@ccun.org