Holland and Italy objected the very critical tone on Israel of a statement issued Monday at a meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers.
According to a report published in the Jerusalem Post, which quoted unnamed Western diplomat sources, Italian and Dutch representatives try to moderate the tone of the statement, called ‘conclusions’ in EU jargon, and to “made sure that certain elements favourable to Israel, such as references to Palestinian incitement and Israel’s security needs, were inserted”.
The statement was criticised by Israel as “one-sided” and sent shockwaves through the global Jewish community.
The officials quoted by the paper claimed that France, Britain and Germany were largely responsible for the content of the report, as they aimed to seize the political initiative gained from Israel’s new unity government to propel the process of arriving at a two-state solution.
Italy has long been regarded as one of Israel’s staunchest supporters. At a meeting in Rome on Monday, Prime Minister Mario Monti reaffirmed the country’s commitment to Israel:
“Italy will always be committed to support Israel security and the security and freedom of the Jewish people. We feel a political and moral responsibility.”
He continued to echo the recent comments of many European Jewish community leaders, when he equated anti-Israel sentiment with anti-Semitism:
“When anti-Semitism becomes the flag post of those who call for the destruction of Israel with hatred and arrogance, our response needs to be firm.”
Speaking of his thoughts on the prospect of Israeli-Palestinian peace, he went on to say:
“Only the two-state solution can guarantee Israel’s long-term peace and security. We stressed it over and over again: the only way to achieve peace is through direct negotiations. At the same time, we do hope that the Palestinians will take advantage of the great opportunity of the new Israeli national unity government to engage in serious and direct negotiations with Israel.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded to the council’s conclusions by saying they consisted of “a long list of claims and criticism which are based on a partial, biased and one-sided depiction of realities on the ground. Such a public presentation does not contribute to advance the process.”
“Israel is committed to the wellbeing of the Palestinian population and acts according to all relevant international conventions," the ministry added.
The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) welcomed the findings of the Council however, with senior member Hanan Ashrawi declaring:
“We believe the EU statement is a very comprehensive and politically responsible statement. It addresses all the issues that have really brought about this crisis, including the settlement activity, and Israel’s non-compliance with international law and UN resolutions”.

EJP