By Lloyd Levy
LONDON–The European Union has issued a very serious threat to Israel, which if implemented will be a major threat to Israel’s economic development. The threat indeed is so far reaching that it is almost incomprehensible in its implications, and yet has received little mainstream publicity.
The European Union, is the misbegotten attempt (in the Author’s opinion) to unify the various European countries into one single political and economic entity. They have issued a “fatwa” recently, which in my opinion forbids the 28 European countries from making any commercial or scientific agreement with Israel, unless the Israeli side accepts that Israeli authority does not extend to the West Bank, Golan, or East Jerusalem. In other words, an extreme political requirement will be insisted upon, which no Israeli Government could ever agree to willingly. Even the Palestinians don’t insist on a strict interpretation of the “Green Line,” as they are officially willing to swap land.
What is more, all 28 European Union countries would be prohibited from providing grants, financial activities, or joint activities, to Israeli entities, if those entities have any links with the Wet Bank, Golan, and East Jerusalem.
It is literally impossible for Israel to agree to these terms, for political and even practical reasons. One must assume that many companies’ employees live over the “Green Line,” and that after nearly half a century the West Bank is quite integrated into the Israeli economy. I would assume therefore most Israeli institutions would therefore not be able to deal with Europe.
This is an utterly devastating blow to Israel, and immediately reminds one of the anti Jewish laws in Germany under the Nazis. The Jews were singled out for economic boycott, and Jewish shops were picketed. This is absolutely the same policy in an updated version, and unfortunately shows how little has changed in parts of European Society since the War.
It also bears the hallmark of the Obama Administration putting pressure on Israel in the run up to the so called “peace talks.”
Israel has quickly responded, by doing what it often has done in these circumstances since the founding of the State , and that is they have announced the building of 1200 new housing units on the “West Bank” as a rejoinder to those that would threaten them.
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Levy is a freelance writer who divides his time between businesses in London and Eilat. He may be contacted at lloyd.levy@sdjewishworld.com