ÐÏà¡±á>þÿ <>þÿÿÿ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿì¥Á5@ ð¿’#bjbjÏ2Ï2 .,XX’ÿÿÿÿÿÿˆÖÖÖÖÖÖÖêRRRR^êÒ¶~”””””””QSSSSSS$ˆRÚ|wÖ””wÖÖ””ŒvÖ”Ö”QQ$ÑÖÖÑ”rð3Ø/ËÄR#LÑQ¢0ÒÑVo4VÑêêÖÖÖÖVÖÑ€”´H î6ŒÂ ë”””wwêê$D£ êêupdated 15/11/04 Mr Christian Leffler Director: Middle East, South Mediterranean Relex F European Commission B-1049 Bruxelles Belgium Dear Christian Leffler EU – Israel Association Agreement I am writing to urge you to use your position as Director of Middle East affairs within the European Commission to work towards getting the EU to impose an embargo on trade with Israel, starting with suspension of the EU - Israel Association Agreement. It is clear that Israel is in material breach of this Agreement. Article 2 states that the relationship between the EU and Israel is to be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles which guide their internal and international policy. It includes specific conditions regarding respect for international law, emphasising the importance of the principles of the United Nations Charter, in particular compliance with the HYPERLINK "http://student.cs.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/db.php?aid=910" Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Israel’s repeatedly violates international humanitarian law, including the fourth Geneva Convention, by indiscriminate, excessive and disproportionate use of force in the Occupied Territories, including blanket artillery bombardments, extra-judicial assassinations, shoot-to-kill policies, deliberate targeting of civilians (including children), and unjustified destruction of houses. Everyday life for Palestinians gets more hopeless and desperate by the day – for them the situation has never been worse. And there is nothing to indicate that the death of Yasser Arafat and the appointment of a new leadership will make any difference to Israeli policies, even if they can no longer refuse to negotiate with the Palestinians. It is important not to forget this in the face of Israel’s attempts to distract the attention of the international community from what is really happening. It is clear that Prime Minister Sharon’s proposal to ‘disengage’ from Gaza is very unlikely to take place considering the bitter opposition to it within Israel and the highly unstable state of his government. Even if it did take place, the Israeli government has said that it views withdrawal from Gaza as a kind of exchange for the indefinite retention of vast settlements in the West Bank, which would prevent the creation of a viable Palestinian state and therefore invalidate the current ‘peace process’. Further evidence for Israel’s disdain of international law came immediately after the ICJ ruling in July that the security barrier being constructed by Israel is illegal and that it should be removed, when Prime Minister Sharon said that its construction would continue – and it has. Sharon’s official spokesman Ra’anan Gissin added that the Court’s ruling ‘will find its place in the garbage can of history’. It is obvious to any neutral observer that Israel’s repression of its Palestinian citizens in its single-minded pursuit of annexation of the Occupied Territories has the effect of sustaining the cycle of violence. Israeli actions make life intolerable for Palestinians and as long as the EU and the rest of the international community do nothing tangible to change Israeli policies the Palestinians will, understandably, try to defend themselves or hit back with the few resources at their disposal. The fact that these include suicide bombers illustrates the deep feelings of hopelessness, desperation and hatred that Israeli actions cause. All this constitutes a continued and increasing threat to peace and stability in the Middle East and the wider world – it is widely believed that a just solution in Palestine would significantly reduce the factors fomenting anti-Western terrorism. I understand that until now the official policy of the EU has been that, while it condemns Israel’s repressive and violent actions against the Palestinians, economic sanctions would damage the EU’s ability to influence Israel and engage in dialogue to revive negotiations towards some kind of resolution. But, when all 25 EU Member States voted in the UN General Assembly to support the resolution calling on Israel to comply with the ICJ ruling, Sharon’s response was to say that he saw no future role for the EU in reviving negotiations for a solution to the crisis. It seems to me, and to many other people, over recent years the EU has tried diplomacy, issuing statements expressing deep concerns and making pleas for restraint, and clearly it has had no effect. This, together with Sharon’s statement that he no longer considers the EU a useful negotiating partner, clearly indicates that the EU must seek to change the attitude of the Israeli Government through other means. In the present circumstances it seems that the Israeli Government will only respond to measures that will have a negative effect on the Israeli electorate, and therefore its popularity or credibility. Imposing trade sanctions, starting with suspension of the Association Agreement, would be a clear signal that the EU is no longer prepared to stand by while the Palestinians are shot at, imprisoned, hounded, evicted and starved out of their land. It would be a indication of international feeling that, unlike Israeli atrocities in the Occupied Territories, could not be concealed from the Israeli electorate. Of course it may not work, but nothing else has either, and surely it’s worth trying. One objective of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy is ‘to develop and consolidate democracy and the rule of law, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms’. This policy needs to be implemented in this case. I find it disgraceful that the EU (of which I am a citizen) continues to have preferential trading and cultural relations with a government that, demonstrably and by its own admission, has no respect for international law and basic human rights as applied to significant numbers of its own citizens. No doubt one objection that will be raised is that it will be impossible to achieve a consensus of all 25 Member States. But if the Commission took the lead, perhaps in conjunction with a small number of Member States already sympathetic to this course of action, surely others can be persuaded to follow? And I note that as recently as July all 25 Member States voted for the UN General Assembly resolution in favour of the ICJ ruling on removing the security barrier. I hope that you agree that this is too important and urgent to be allowed to disappear into a bureaucratic black hole. So, in the light of recent developments, do you agree that EU policy on Israel in general, and trade sanctions in particular, needs to change? If so, what can you do to persuade the Council of Ministers (who I assume are the decision makers) to enforce the terms of the Association Agreement ? What would be process be ? If you do not agree, I would be grateful if you would please let me know why, so that I can understand the European Commission’s position, and whether a different approach is needed. 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