Israeli diplomacy softens EU criticism on settlements

Forceful Israeli diplomacy led to minor changes in an EU statement on “unequivocally and explicitly” differentiating between Israel and the occupied West Bank.

The final version, agreed by foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday (18 January), says: “The EU expresses its commitment to ensure 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.”

An earlier draft had said: “​The EU will continue to unequivocally and explicitly make the distinction between Israel and all territories occupied by Israel in 1967.”

Israeli diplomats, according to reports in Israeli media, had targeted Athens, Nicosia, and Prague over the weekend to try to soften or delay the statement.

Greece vetoed the original version on Friday, saying it was “unbalanced” against Israel.

An EU source said Poland also joined the group of states promoting Israel’s ideas.

The Israeli concern is that the more forceful and wide-ranging the wording, the more likely the EU, or individual states, would be to take additional anti-settler steps.

The EU, already last year, published a code for retailers on how to label settler exports.

EU diplomats based in Ramallah, the de facto Palestinian capital, have previously suggested imposing a visa ban on known settler radicals, for instance.

The final version of the EU conclusions softens criticism of Israeli plans to crack down on foreign-funded NGOs.

The final text speaks of “the importance of unhindered work of civil society” in Israel. The earlier version spoke of “attempts to stifle civil society.”

The final text also heaps blame on Hamas for rocket attacks, without making little mention of reciprocal Israeli fire.

But the final text, as in the original, still says EU countries “will consider further action in order to protect the viability of the two-state solution.”

It still links Palestinian knife and car attacks on Israelis to the lack of a “political horizon” for peace talks.

It also urges Israel, whose security forces killed 155 Palestinians in the past four months, to adhere to “necessity and proportionality in the use of force,” despite Israel’s recent fury at Swedish criticism of the Palestinian death toll.

The EU foreign relations chief, Federica Mogherini, described the final text as “a good basis for our common position and our engagement with the Middle East Peace Process.”

The Irish foreign minister, Charles Flannagan, whose country had, reportedly, pushed for stronger criticism of Israel, said: “Ireland firmly believes in a two-state solution and that’s not compatible with continued expansion of settlements.”

He also described life in Israeli-besieged Gaza as “horrific.”

The ministers spent the best part of Monday discussing the situation in the wider Middle East.

They voiced hope the unity government deal in Libya will be respected and said Iran’s implementation of the nuclear non-proliferation deal bodes well for the Syria conflict.

The EU is keen, as part of a UN-led process, to launch talks between the Syrian government and the moderate opposition in the so called Geneva process.

Mogherini said Iran’s nuclear compliance means one of the most imporant regional actors can now play a bigger role in the Syria settlement.

She also said she is planning to visit Iran in spring to promote EU business and political ties.