Brussels, 02/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - According to Israel's Ambassador to the EU, Oded Eran, the European Union and Israel are expected to conclude a closer partnership agreement in the context of the EU's strategy toward its "new neighbours". "Both parties are expected to consider the second best option after that of accession", that of partnership, he said expressing a "personal view" at a seminar on the Future of the Middle East at the European Parliament on Tuesday. The results of the Association Agreement signed about ten years ago are "disappointing", even if Israel is one of the third countries that participates the most in EU research programmes, and even if it is to sign an agreement on taking part in the Galileo project "in a few weeks". The EU recognised Israel's "specific status" but "the proposals made so far have not gone as far as we would have liked", he said.
Those taking the floor called upon the EU to show better understanding of the Israeli situation during this seminar organised by the European Jewish Congress and the "Israel at Heart" programme. The fact that Europeans find it difficult to understand the effect of permanent fear caused by attacks creates an "emotional divide" between the EU and Israel, François Zimeray, French Socialist MEP and President of the "Medbridge Strategy Centre", said to applause. "You can challenge our policy, but you must condemn terror", Yuri Shtern, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the Knesset, exclaimed.
In order to move forward, it is essential to ensure violence is not legitimate and to promote civil society initiatives, the EU representative for the Middle East, Marc Otte, said. "When despair reigns, there is potential trust in positive alternatives", was the view expressed by the former president of the Knesset, Avraham Burg, who is one of the promoters of the "Geneva Initiative" for peace in the Middle East. He called on Europeans to play the role of intermediary between Israelis and Palestinians as the two parties have "lost the language of compromise". The Oslo process has not worked because Israelis and Palestinians have not been able to respect the concerns of the other party: on one side, "it is a language of hatred that comes out of the mosques today" and, on the other, Israel has doubled its presence in the colonies, Mr Burg said.