Brussels, 10/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - The president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, is officially instructing the European Commission to openly declare to MEPs, at least, what it has arranged to do with Israel in regard to the upgrading of the long developed relationship with Israel, following the latter's submission of a “non-paper” in October 2007 (EUROPE 9675). No comment has been made at the Commission or Council where, according to official opinion, the request has not been followed up at all, even though the Netherlands attempted to put it on the agenda at one of the General Affairs Council sessions. The reaction would be unfavourable, overall. The extreme discretion of the Commission and Council is worrying a lot of MEPs.
This suspicion appears to have prompted the letter sent by the president of the EP to the European Commissioner for external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. The letter indicates that with the forthcoming Association Council (16 June in Luxembourg), the Commission has the institutional duty of providing clarification, “I would like to insist on the necessity, in respect of the established inter-institutional framework and our respective institutional prerogatives, for the European Parliament to be duly informed and consulted whenever appropriate on the proposals that will be presented and discussed”.
In this letter, also addressed to the president of the Council and Commission, president Pöttering affirms that the upgrading in relations sought by a partner country “is indeed a positive gesture” but asserted that this does not mean that it should be done on the quiet and he detailed the different stages adopted for revealing this information, to indicate how the Parliament had, regretfully, been informed almost only by accident.
Mr Pöttering appears, however to not wish to speak about the whole case, although he has already endorsed, as president of the “Middle East working group”, a text distributed at the end of the visit to the region, produced by a mission co-presided by Véronique De Keyser (PES, Belgium) and Annemie Neyts (ALDE, Belgium). The text directly calls on the Commission and Council to not give Israel encouragement at a time when the country's practices on the ground do not deserve such a favourable approach (Gaza, extension of the settlements, blockages in the peace process and, very recently, not repaying taxes due to the Palestinian Authority, which Israel had made a commitment to do with the EU). This appeal has already been relayed by Beatrice Patrie (PES, France) and Luisa Morgantini (GUE, Italy).
The Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad sent a letter out last week to all European leaders and member states to warn them about what the consequences of such a “bonus” to Israel could mean. Mr Fayyad wrote that, “now, more than ever, is the time for the European Union to act on the position of principle that it has again affirmed: that Israeli settlements in the whole of the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem is illegal and threatens the viability of an agreement on a two-state solution”. This approach has been criticised by a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister in a declaration published in the press, “such behaviour does not do anyone any good and undermines confidence in the peace process”. This reaction would explain, according to certain commentators, the suspension of tax repayment operations on Palestinian imports transiting its territory. These taxes are collected by Israel, which did make a commitment to paying them to the Palestinian Authority.
This affair is taking place with a background of mistrust, aggravated by the fact that Israel has revived the setting up (or extension) of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The spokesperson for the Israeli minister responsible for accommodation indicated that, “We are going to build 121 housing units at Har Homa and 736 others in Pisgat Zeev (neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem: Ed). At the same time, in Senegal, under the auspices of president Abdallah Wade, Fatah and Hamas resumed their dialogue. The Palestinian prime minister (Fatah) and the head of the Palestinian negotiating team, Ahmed Qorei, declared in Naplouse (according to the WAFA agency) that Fatah was prepared to hold early elections. (F.B./trans.rh)