Brussels, 12/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 12 February, European Parliament President Martin Schulz gave a speech to the Israeli Parliament and called for greater cooperation between the EU and Israel.
“The EU has no intention of boycotting Israel. It is my conviction that what we need is more cooperation, not division”, Schulz said in German. “The EU is Israel's most important trading partner and our cooperation in the area of research, science and technology is the basis for our future economic strength. Our competitiveness in a globalised world will hinge on two things - innovation and education”, he said. Israel will participate in the Horizon 2020 programme. In Schulz's view, the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law that define their partnership are “the basis for the answers we are seeking together to the challenges of the 21st century - climate change and water scarcity, refugee problems, peace and security”. “Together, we can exert a positive influence on developments in our neighbourhood. This is a responsibility we cannot ignore”, he said.
Schulz also spoke about the differences between the EU and Israel. He recalled European opposition to the Israeli settlement policy. For the EU and the whole international community, “the fact that East Jerusalem is cut off from the West Bank is certainly an obstacle on the road to a peaceful settlement”, Schulz stated. He added that, while the blockade of the Gaza Strip is Israel's response to attacks on Israeli civilians, “it is stifling all economic development and driving people to despair - despair which in turn is being exploited by extremists”. “The blockade may in fact undermine, rather than strengthen, Israel's security”, Schulz stated. “Without peace there can be no security. Military power can quell disorder, but it cannot create peace”, he concluded. (CG/transl.fl)