Former leaders of the EU to sanction and boycott Israel (Jerusalem Post)

Twenty-six former leaders of the European Union, including former top diplomat of the EU, Javier Solana, published a letter requesting the week past boycotts and sanctions targeting Israel due to the construction of the colony.

According to the letter, which was reported on the euobserver.com website and addressed to the leaders of the EU, the Jewish State, "like any other State" should be slapped with "consequences" and "a price tag" for the construction of housing in the West Bank.

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Ten former leaders Europe signed December 6 letter, including former President Richard von Weizsäcker Germany and Spanish ex-chancelier Helmut Schmidt, former Irish President Mary Robinson, former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, and Thorvald Stoltenberg, an ex-norvégien foreign and Defence Minister.

26 Signatories called for the EU to prohibit the importation of products in establishments and demanded that Israel fund much of the aid to the Palestinians. The letter also urged the EU to upgrade relations with Israel contingent on the cessation of construction of the colony.

"Continuation of settlement activity Israel... poses an existential threat to the prospects for the establishment of a sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian State,"read the letter.""

In the meantime, in response to the American decision to abandon its requirement of freeze of settlement, Catherine Ashton, head of the EU for Foreign Affairs, writes, "I noted with regret that Israel was not able to accept an extension of the moratorium, as requested by the United States, the European Union and the Quartet." The position of the EU institutions is clear: they are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. Recent regulations related developments, particularly in Jerusalem is in contradiction with the efforts made by the international community for successful negotiations. »

In an interview with the BBC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Yigal Palmor said fixation on settlements former EU leaders is "strange and dangerous."

"It is difficult to see how the call for sanctions and isolation of Israel will promote peace, but clearly it will decrease the capacity of the European Union to play a constructive role in promoting peace in the region," said Palmor.

He said that if the European Union accepted the recommendations outlined in the letter, it would completely "marginalize" in the peace process. "Recommend sanctions against Israel", he added, "is not only ignore the mere establishments never was an obstacle to peace and to the territorial withdrawal, but it is also the most unnecessary how to bring Israelis and Palestinians more close to compromise, reconciliation and peace".

Another government official said that the letter was completely wrong signal to send to the Palestinians at the moment. "One of the problems that we are facing today is that the Palestinians are disengaging negotiations", the official said adding Israel fears that the Palestinians have been conclusive is there any reason to negotiate because they can obtain a solution to their liking imposed from outside.

Letters such as these, properly designed, "are only will strengthen Palestinian intransigence because they think that there is another option," said the official.

Tirawi expressed the fear of an "explosion" in the Palestinian territories, of institutions, but also because of the "threat" to Jerusalem Aqsa Mosque.

He said: "I was read on official parts of the Aqsa Mosque can collapse, security warnings". "I've warned in the past and say now that we can speculate that happen if a stone of the Aqsa Mosque falls." I am afraid that we are headed toward an explosion. This could be the trigger that would create a fire throughout the region. »

Tirawi supports the idea of dismantling the PA once the peace process so Israel be held fully responsible for the West Bank has collapsed and band of Gaza.

"Israel is wearing not any responsibility for the occupation", he said. "The occupation must not be that good market for Israel.".

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