A dramatic new directive published by the European Union bars its 28 members from all cooperation with Israeli entities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The directive, sent out on June 30 and set to take effect on Friday, extends to “all funding, cooperation, and the granting of scholarships, research grants and prizes” to Israeli entities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Haaretz reported on Tuesday. It also requires that any contracts between EU member countries and Israel henceforth include a clause stating that East Jerusalem and the West Bank are not part of the State of Israel, a senior Israeli official told Haaretz. The anonymous official described the ruling as an “earthquake” which unprecedentedly turns “understandings and quiet agreements that the Union does not work beyond the Green Line” into “formal, binding policy.” The Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry were reported to be in “great tension and anxiety” over how to respond to the territorial clause, which is likely to be a stumbling block in Israel-EU relations.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 08:34:43 +0000
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