For the first time in
a decade, the European Union and Israel held talks on the 3rd of
October 2022 to advance peace efforts and put pressure on Israel over its
actions against Palestinians. This was done without clarifying the way of
pressure on Israel to respect human rights in the occupied Palestinian
territories and how these efforts will take place while the Israeli settlement is
expanding on a large scale in the West Bank and rate of killings of civilians
is increasing.
Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who spoke to Yair Lapid, the Israeli
prime minister, said that what encouraged the EU was the support of the
two-state solution that the latter has mentioned in his speech to the General
Assembly last September. With the significant increase in killing operations
during the last seven years that targeted 1127 Palestinians including 229 children
and 71 women, EU policy makers has advocated the two-state solution though
there no prospect of peace is expected.
Israel and EU ties have been agreed since 1959 and are based on many
fields of economic, commercial, scientific, and cultural cooperation.
The
high-profile meeting of EU and Israel is held again after a halt since 2012 due
to the bloc’s criticism of Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Perhaps, the main reasons behind reviving the economic partnership
between EU and Israel are the Ukraine-Russia war, the gas crisis in Europe and
the discovery of large quantities in the Mediterranean Sea, and the possibility
of signing a border demarcation agreement with Lebanon and the Occupation.
According to the second article of the Israel-EU partnership agreement,
the two parties must build a relationship based on respecting human rights and
democracy principles that guide their internal and international policy.
The Palestinian Association for Human
Rights (Witness) considers the reactivation of this partnership surprisingly a
reward for Israel for its systematic crimes represented by expanding settlements,
killings, and Judaization of Holy city and encourages these acts. It also calls
on the European Union to prioritize morals, values, and human rights over
economic interests.
Beirut 05/10/2022
Palestinian Association for Human Rights
(Witness)