Former Senior EU/NATO Officials Condemn the Trump Regime’s Israel/Palestine Agenda
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
According to the neocon/CIA house organ Washington Post, Trump’s self-styled deal of the century no-peace/peace plan will likely exclude Palestinian statehood.
WaPo cited unnamed “people familiar with the main elements of the effort,” the already dead-on-arrival scheme yet to be released because it one-sidedly favors Israel at the expense of fundamental Palestinian rights.
Trump’s Ziofascist slum lord son-in-law/presidential “advisor” Jared Kushner and likeminded envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt are spearheading the scheme to further discriminate against Palestinians more than already.
According to WaPo, the plan prioritizes Israeli security concerns at a time its only enemies are invented ones. No real ones exist.
Chance for Palestinians to accept Trump’s no-peace/deal of the century are virtually nil. Throughout the Jewish state’s history, Palestinians have been ruthlessly persecuted, tortured, mass arrested, murdered, and otherwise abused.
The Netanyahu regime is the most ruthless in Israeli history, demanding everything, offering nothing in return. He and likeminded extremists are hostile to Palestinian self-determination and other fundamental rights.
In December 2017, the Palestinian Authority cut off contacts with the Trump regime over its one-sided support for Israel – including for illegally moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and slashing aid to Palestinians.
WaPo quoted Obama’s chief of staff to his failed Israeli/Palestinian peace talks Ilan Goldenberg, saying from what he knows about the Trump regime’s plan it’s “dead on arrival,” adding:
“The biggest concern is, if the plan is heavily biased toward Israel, which is what we expect, and they put it down and the Palestinians reject it, then it becomes a predicate to move toward annexation” of valued Judea and Samaria land.
A letter to the London Guardian called for EU countries to support an even-handed two-state solution for Israel/Palestine – signed by 25 former European foreign ministers, six former prime ministers, and two former NATO secretary-generals, saying the following in part:
The Trump regime “has departed from longstanding US policy and distanced itself from established international legal norms.”
“It has so far recognized only one side’s claims to Jerusalem and demonstrated a disturbing indifference to (illegal) Israeli settlement expansion.”
It “suspended funding” for millions of Palestinian refugees, along with “other programs” vital to the Palestinian people.
Ahead of releasing Trump’s so-called deal of the century surely to be unacceptably one-sided, “Europe should embrace and promote a plan that respects the basic principles of international law as reflected in the agreed EU parameters for a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
It “requires the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel on borders based on the pre-1967 lines with mutually agreed, minimal and equal land swaps; with Jerusalem as the capital for both states; with security arrangements that address legitimate concerns and respect the sovereignty of each side and with an agreed, fair solution to the question of Palestine refugees.”
“Europe…should reject any plan that does not meet this standard…(A) plan that reduces Palestinian statehood to an entity devoid of sovereignty, territorial contiguity and economic viability would severely compound the failure of previous peace-making efforts, accelerate the demise of the two-state option and fatally damage the cause of a durable peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”
“(I)n situations in which our vital interests and fundamental values are at stake, Europe must pursue its own course of action.”
“…Europe should formally reaffirm the internationally agreed parameters for a two-state solution” ahead of the Trump plan’s release.
“European governments should further commit to scale up efforts to protect the viability of a future two-state outcome.”
“It is of the utmost importance that the EU and all member states actively ensure the implementation of relevant UN security council resolutions – including consistent differentiation in accordance with UN security council resolution 2334, between Israel in its recognized and legitimate borders, and its illegal settlements in the occupied territories.”
SC Res. 2334 said settlements have “no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law.”
It demands “Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.”
It recognizes no territorial changes “to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations.”
It “(c)alls upon all States, to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.”
It “(c)alls for immediate steps to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation and destruction, calls for accountability in this regard…”
The resolution was adopted by 14 of the 15 SC member states, the US abstaining to permit adoption – perhaps the only decent action taken by Obama throughout his deplorable, otherwise lawless eight years in office.
Signatories to the above quoted letter said failure to adopt what it calls for “would have far-reaching negative consequences.” The former officials include:
Douglas Alexander – former minister of state for Europe, United Kingdom
Jean-Marc Ayrault – former foreign minister and prime minister, France
Carl Bildt – former foreign minister and prime minister, Sweden
Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz- former foreign minister and prime minister, Poland
Dacian Ciolos – former prime minister and European commissioner, Romania
Willy Claes – former foreign minister and NATO secretary general, Belgium
Massimo d’Alema – former foreign minister and prime minister, Italy
Karel De Gucht – former foreign minister and European commissioner, Belgium
Uffe Ellemann-Jensen – former foreign minister and president of the European Liberals, Denmark
Benita Ferrero-Waldner – former foreign minister and European commissioner for external relations, Austria
Franco Frattini – former foreign minister and European commissioner, Italy
Sigmar Gabriel – former foreign minister and vice-chancellor, Germany
Lena Hjelm-Wallen – former foreign minister and deputy prime minister, Sweden
Eduard Kukan – former foreign minister, Slovakia
Martin Lidegaard – former foreign minister, Denmark
Mogens Lykketoft – former foreign minister and UN general assembly president, Denmark
Louis Michel – former foreign minister and European commissioner, Belgium
David Miliband – former foreign secretary, United Kingdom
Holger K Nielsen – former foreign minister, Denmark
Marc Otte – former EU special representative to the Middle East peace process, Belgium
Ana Palacio – former foreign minister, Spain
Jacques Poos – former foreign minister, Luxembourg
Vesna Pusic – former foreign minister and deputy prime minister, Croatia
Mary Robinson – former president and United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Ireland
Robert Serry – former UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, the Netherlands
Javier Solana – former foreign minister, NATO secretary general and EU high representative for common foreign and security policy, Spain
Per Stig Moller – former foreign minister, Denmark
Michael Spindelegger – former foreign minister and vice-chancellor, Austria
Jack Straw – former foreign secretary, United Kingdom
Desmond Swayne – former minister of state for international development, United Kingdom
Erkki Tuomioja – former foreign minister, Finland
Ivo Vajgl – former foreign minister, Slovenia
Frank Vandenbroucke – former foreign minister, Belgium
Jozias van Aartsen – former foreign minister, the Netherlands
Hubert Vedrine – former foreign minister, France
Guy Verhofstadt – former prime minister, Belgium
Lubomir Zaoralek Former foreign minister, Czech Republic
A Final Comment
When in office, the above signatories failed to pursue an agenda recommended in their letter – other than at times rhetorically.
That aside, as long as US regimes and Congress support its apartheid agenda, Israel knows it can do whatever it pleases with impunity – including waging three preemptive wars of aggression on Gaza and rejecting independent efforts for regional peace, equity and justice.
That’s how it’s been since 1948, why the Jewish state gets away with murder and a whole lot more.
VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
