NIEUWS NEDERLANDS PALESTINA KOMITEE

Zie het artikel in Haaretz van 2 april 2009

New government may face EU sanctions over two-state solution

As early as this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman could face international pressure to clarify their position on the creation of a Palestinian state.

At a closed-door dinner of European Union diplomats held Friday in the Czech Republic, several senior officials said Israel must be required to present an explicit commitment accepting the principle of "two states for two peoples," and if it fails, the process of upgrading Israel-EU relations should be frozen.

At least 10 communiques from Israeli embassies in Europe arrived at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem in recent days painting a difficult picture of the level of trust felt in Europe towards the Netanyahu government, particularly on diplomatic matters.

The dispatches all had the same message: The diplomats present at the dinner criticized Israel on its handling of negotiations with the Palestinians, settlement building, the destruction of homes in East Jerusalem and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Among those expressing criticism were those generally viewed as supportive of Israel, including host Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg of the Czech Republic, whose country is the current EU president. Schwarzenberg summarized the meeting by saying, "There won't be any progress in relations between Israel and the European Union until the Israeli government clarifies its stance on the creation of a Palestinian state."

After the dinner he told a Czech newspaper that a decision had been made to cancel a summit between the Israeli prime minister and EU leaders planned for late May or early June.

One communique expressed the impression of one guest at the dinner, who spoke of an atmosphere of "ganging up on Israel," and that terms were imposed "on a government that had not yet been formed."

The message also indicated that several ministers spoke of the "need to teach Israel a lesson about its treatment of the Palestinians."

The Belgian foreign minister called for a renewed examination into Israel-EU ties, while at the same time evaluating the possibility of establishing ties with a Palestinian unity government composed of Hamas and Fatah.

The central issue discussed at the dinner was the future of Israel-EU relations. Many ministers demanded that Israel be presented with an ultimatum stating that an upgrade of those relations be carried out only with an Israeli government explicitly committing itself to the two-state solution.

The rising tension is leading to concern among senior Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem. They said the Europeans are likely to exert significant pressure on Israel, in cooperation with the U.S. administration, to receive a commitment from Netanyahu on the principle of a two-state solution.

On Thursday Netanyahu received phone calls from both U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin congratulating him on entering office. The Prime Minister's Office described the half-hour conversation with Obama as "positive and friendly," adding that Obama told Netanyahu "the United States is committed to Israel's security, and that cannot be undermined."

Netanyahu's office also said the two leaders agreed to work in close cooperation, and to meet as soon as possible.

Putin invited Netanyahu to meet with him in Moscow, and also expressed hope the two could meet soon. The Russian prime minister emphasized his desire to strengthen Russian-Israeli ties, saying it is of the utmost importance to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in the interest of Mideast regional stability.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told Netanyahu Thursday he hopes to work in cooperation with the prime minister "to renew the peace process, in which the goal is to create an independent, sustainable Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel."