La Embajada del Estado de Palestina en Nicaragua, le saluda muy atentamente. Por este medio remitimos en adjunto los siguientes documentos informativos. Gracias por su amable atención. Atentamente, Embajada del Estado de Palestina Telf: 2276-0239 EU Boycott Threat Boycott of Products from Settlements Postponed by a Few Weeks Ma’ariv (p. 1) by Aviram Zino, Arik Bender -- Israel has been given an extension of a few weeks to show the European Commission how the Veterinary Service separates poultry, eggs and dairy from beyond the Green Line from the same products made inside the Green Line. This development is indicated by the recent correspondence between the Israel and the European Commission. The European Commission has threatened that if it is not persuaded that the separation method is acceptable, it will be forced to ban all such products from Israel. That said, European Commission officials stress that there is no economic boycott of Israel and that this is a technical procedure that is a direct continuation of the decision made by the EU ministers in December 2012. That decision stipulated that in every future economic agreement with Israel, the settlements would be left out. This is because of the EU position that all the settlements in Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights are illegal and should not be considered part of the State of Israel. On July 28, the EU’s public health department sent a letter to the chief veterinarian in the Agriculture Ministry reminding it that as of February 2013, it could not provide approvals for exporting poultry from beyond the Green Line because the EU does not recognize the settlements. The letter said that the Israeli authorities must ensure that the Veterinary Service not give approvals. It also said that Israel must provide persuasive information that there is a system for separating products from beyond the Green Line from those manufactured inside the 1967 borders. Originally, the boycott was supposed to go into effect last night, but this was postponed at least until early October at Israel’s request. Ma’ariv has learned that representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Economy Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry are holding discrete talks in Brussels on the matter. As noted, the letter ends by saying that if Israel does not take action on the matter or if the method it uses is not to the EU’s liking, the EU will have to consider possible steps against Israel. EU figures said that this is an unequivocal threat: if the method used is not convincing, the EU will be forced to reject all poultry, dairy and egg products from Israel. Government officials in Israel said last night: “The Europeans problem is not veterinary-related. There are no problems of poultry disease in the territories. Their problem is political and they are using the veterinary excuse to promote their strategy, which does not recognize Israeli control of the territories.” The Political Tsunami is Already Here Ma’ariv (p. 1) by Ben Caspit -- The new European threat that is reported today by Aviram Zino and Arik Bender is unbelievable. If the European Union is not convinced that Israel has a reliable mechanism for separating the veterinary supervision provided in Israel from the veterinary supervision provided in the “territories” (everything beyond the Green Line, including the Golan Heights), the EU might very well decide to stop importing all poultry, dairy and egg products anywhere in Israel. That would be a catastrophic vision come true of a kind that no one in Jerusalem imagined would ever arrive at such an early stage. It seems to me that the chance of that happening is next to nil, for the time being. The Europeans led that elephant into the room with the goal of removing it at the final stage. Only the goat will remain in the middle of the living room, which in this case is the boycott of products that are manufactured in the settlements. That is grave in its own right. As Ma’ariv reported a number of weeks ago, this will be the first time in which a meaningful European boycott will be imposed on products that either come from, are connected to or are tainted by any relationship with something that lies beyond the Green Line, including Jerusalem, including the Golan Heights. The political tsunami is already here. It has camouflaged itself in a bureaucratic and technical environment, but it is alive and well, and it is kicking us in the head. One thing needs to be clear: this is all premeditated. It isn’t only the Europeans. The Americans are hiding behind them. Ahead of Obama’s second term in office, the one that Prime Minister Netanyahu tried to scuttle, a decision was made by the US administration and the European Union about a new way of operating against the Netanyahu government, on the assumption that this government remained intransigent. The United States cannot impose any real sanctions on Israel. Congress won’t let that happen. The White House is aware of the balance of power. That is why the Europeans were given the job of imposing sanctions. The Americans have been sniping at Netanyahu in other ways—delaying the supply of ammunition during war, for example. Reducing the scope of the international umbrella of support. Things like that. The Europeans took it upon themselves to do the dirty work. Now that is starting to happen in front of our very eyes. And we haven’t even begun to discuss what lies in store for us in the aftermath of Operation Protective Edge. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said this weekend that Israel was going to face a glorious political Intifada. At precisely that moment, the Netanyahu government decided to carry out the largest land expropriation to have been committed in the past number of years in the Etzion Bloc. That land expropriation is going to be a top headline in a lot of newspapers and websites around the world, including the ones that are usually supportive of Israel. That was supposed to be the “punishment” meted out to the Palestinians for kidnapping the three teenagers in the Etzion Bloc—but in the current timing and the current political situation, the Israeli intransigence and Netanyahu’s public image around the world are going to turn that now into a huge wave of condemnation of Israel. Ultimately, the following simple formula still applies: Israel can win freedom of action in the realm of security only if it first ensures that it has political credit. An Israeli prime minister has to clasp a sledgehammer in his one hand and an olive branch in his other. A real olive branch, not one made out of plastic. The olive branch that Netanyahu is holding isn’t real, and it isn’t perceived by the world as being serious. The moment the burden of proof is placed on our shoulders instead of on the other side’s shoulders—that is when the trouble begins. Now it looks like we’ve got multiple troubles. West Bank Construction Livni: “Annexation of Land in Etzion Bloc Weakens Israel” Ma’ariv (p. 4) by Arik Bender -- Israel decided on Sunday to declare 4,000 dunams of land in the Etzion Bloc as state land. The United States and Britain condemned the decision, which has also created tensions within the coalition. The tempest began with a statement that was issued by the spokesperson for the coordinator of government activities in the territories. The spokesperson noted in that statement that in keeping with the cabinet decision about measures that would be taken in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of Gil-Ad Shaar, Naftali Fraenkel and Eyal Yifrah in June, a decision had been made to declare some 4,000 dunams of land in the Etzion Bloc state land, which would allow thousands of housing units to be built on them in the future. The United States quickly condemned the decision, noting that it was unhelpful with respect to the peace efforts, and called on the Israeli government to reconsider. A high-ranking US State Department official said: We have already made it clear in the past that we are opposed to continued construction in the settlements. This declaration, like any Israeli declaration about approving construction plans in the settlements and publishing tenders does not help Israel achieve its declared goal of the two-state solution. Britain also condemned the decision yesterday. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: “The UK deplores the Israeli government’s expropriation of 988 acres of land around the settlement of Etzion. This is a particularly ill-judged decision that comes at a time when the priority must be to build on the ceasefire in Gaza. It will do serious damage to Israel’s standing in the international community.” The criticism from overseas yesterday was joined by criticism by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. “This decision weakens Israel and damages security. The United States knows that during the negotiations we acted so that the Etzion Bloc would be part of the State of Israel, and the Palestinians understand that too,” she said. “And here comes a declaration about the Etzion Bloc. And what is the first thing that happened? The United States condemns. We took a place that wasn’t controversial and we made it controversial. Anyone who wants to strengthen the Etzion Bloc needs to act in the opposite way. “Regrettably, while there were some people who engaged in politics during the fighting [Operation Protective Edge], there are some who are engaged in politics after the fighting at the State of Israel’s expense.” Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, who visited the yeshiva in the Etzion Bloc in which [two of] the three teenagers who were kidnapped and murdered studied, said in reference to the government decision: “That has always been the Zionist answer to Arab terrorism. For 120 years, since the dawn of Zionism, we have been building. The world has never liked our continued construction. When they murder, we bring life. When they destroy, we build. This time too, with a lot of stamina and determination, we will continue to build our land.” Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Zeev Elkin also criticized Justice Minister Livni’s comments, saying: “Contrary to her statements, the Israeli declaration about the lands of the Etzion Bloc was correct. If not there, where will we build?” MK Nahman Shai of the Labor Party lambasted the decision, saying: “the Israeli government decides on land expropriation in the Etzion Bloc and, at the same time, talks about a ‘new horizon’ and needs the Palestinian Authority in order to establish new relations with Gaza. The government’s decision says simply: that which was will continue to be, and the clock is ticking until the next round.” Settlers Tell Netanyahu: We Will Not Be Silent for Long about Construction Freeze Walla.co.il (online service) by Shabtai Bendat -- Settler leaders in Judea and Samaria harshly criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu yesterday, whom they accused of delaying planning procedures in the settlements and enforcing, in practice, a “quiet freeze” of construction in the territories. They related to the Walla News report that Netanyahu had retracted at the last minute and had shelved tenders from being issued to sell 2,500 housing units. “The prime minister promises to promote and begin construction but, in practice, after the reports, everything stops,” said one settler leader. “You have to realize, so many times it gets reported that the government has approved housing units, but in practice, that only refers to one stage in the plans, not to construction. For example, in the settlement of Itamar, which has been there for decades, it was reported several times that the government had approved construction, but in practice, after every report, there was a lot of noise against this and the final plan was not approved. A situation is created in which a veteran settlement like this, whose development is paid for by the state, basically has no approved plan.” Other figures in Judea and Samaria say that Itamar is not the only example of a construction freeze being enforced in practice beyond the Green Line. The master plan for the veteran settlement of Eli has also not been approved, they say. They also say that the reason for the delay constantly changes. “This is systematic,” one said. “In practice, there is no progress in plans except for approval for educational institutions in the settlements.” It was reported yesterday that the prime minister decided to shelve tenders for selling thousands of housing units that were declared in response to the kidnapping and murder of the three teenagers, Gilad Shaar, Naftali Fraenkel and Eyal Yifrah in June, a short time before the announcement was made. Handling the matter on behalf of Netanyahu was Cabinet Secretary Maj. Gen. (res.) Avihai Mandelblit, who reached agreement with the relevant authorities on the construction of about 1,500 housing units in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood in Jerusalem, which is located beyond the Green Line, and the construction of 1, 000 housing unit in the settlements of Ariel, Immanuel and Beitar Illit. The reason for Netanyahu’s decision this time to shelve the tenders was apparently his concern of a harsh international reaction against Israel. In general, settler leaders say that the prime minister is solely to blame for the fact that the state does not build beyond the Green Line, and not others in the government. “It’s not Yaalon or anyone else, it’s all in Netanyahu’s hands. At first we were told that there were negotiations and that plans could not be promoted, then it was said that after the fourth phase of the terrorist release did not go through, that Israel did not want to get the world angry. Later the excuse was the kidnapping and now it is Operation Protective Edge. Every time the reason changes but the result is the same: the prime minister does not promote plans in Judea and Samaria. There was more construction in Judea and Samaria even during the Rabin and Barak governments.” The settler leaders say that if the issue is not resolved soon, they will not hesitate to take protest steps against the government and the prime minister. “We won’t be silent for long,” some said. […] “If we see that the matter is not being handled, we will launch a large-scale campaign against the prime minister and consider any steps that will put serious public pressure on him. You can’t stop the lives of the residents of Judea and Samaria.” […
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 17:42:08 +0000
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