As the European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini starts Wednesday a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, a monitoring group said that a key EU policy paper reviewing the EU-Israel relations in the framework of the EU Neighborhood Policy (ENP) ‘’shows the EU’s flawed assessment and understanding of the Israeli society.’’
In its analysis, the Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor said that EU's External Action Service (EEAS) report ‘’Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in Israel Progress in 2014 and recommendations for actions’’, published in March, "uncritically relies on the claims of political NGOs and all but ignores violence against Israelis.’’
"It is astonishing to see a formal EU document, which is supposed to reflect developments in Israel and help set EU policy, that is so biased," declared Professor Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor.
"Like previous ENP Progress Reports on Israel, the EU relies extensively on material provided by a narrow group of fringe NGOs, resulting in a distorted approach that has affected the reports' content and credibility," he added.
"Mogherini's visit is an opportunity to begin fixing the failings of EU policy, which, if left uncorrected, will cause serious damage to the EU's credibility in the peace process. NGO Monitor's analysis indicates that the EU applies different human rights norms and international standards towards Israel, and omits events and terror attacks against Israeli citizens,” he said.
The NGO analysis cites several examples of these omissions, including the fact that the ENP report ‘’fails to specifically mention violent attacks against Jewish targets, despite the steep rise in such attacks in 2014. In sharp contrast, the report discusses in detail actions done by individuals or groups that are identified by the EU as "extremist Israelis" or "far-right Jewish groups."
‘’The report also wrongfully identifies the Israeli restrictions and Egypt's closing of the smuggling tunnels to Gaza as the "primary obstacle for long-term economic development" in Gaza.
“This unsupported claim fails to acknowledge Hamas's violent takeover of Gaza in 2007, continuous terror attacks from Gaza, and the uncontrolled flow of arms that compelled an Israeli response in order to protect civilians from attacks,” says NGO Monitor.
The group said the report ‘’does not mention Hamas's grave violations of international law and human rights, including the use of UNRWA facilities, mosques, and hospitals to stockpile weapons and shield combatants.’’
On the Gaza conflict in July-August 2014, NGO says that ‘’the report does not address Israel's humanitarian commitment to the so-called "humanitarian windows" (cease fires to transport of civilians to in Israeli hospitals) during military operations, as Hamas repeatedly violated the cease-fires,’’
NGO Monitor also noted that Israel is the only ENP country that has an entire chapter devoted to responsibilities under international law, including other ENP countries involved in territorial disputes and/or armed conflicts.
“This deviation from the standard template of ENP reports highlights the EU's singling out of Israel and follows significant lobbying efforts from highly politicized NGOs,” NGO Monitor said.
"Like previous ENP Progress Reports on Israel, the EU relies extensively on material provided by a narrow group of fringe NGOs, resulting in a distorted approach that has affected the reports' content and credibility," added Professor Steinberg.
Mogherini’s visit in Jerusalem and Ramallah is aimed at discussing the prospects for a resumption of the peace talks.between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Speaking Monday ahead of her visit, Mogherini indicated that the EU wants a more active role in seeking peace between the sides.
"My very early visit has a political meaning," Mogherini told a press conference following an EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels where she discussed the Middle East.
"The European Union is ready and willing to play a major role in a relaunching of this process on the basis of the two-state solution," she added.
She will meet both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during her visit, along with a number of other Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors. She will also discuss the bilateral relations.