EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES EU-ISRAEL TRADE AGREEMENT/LETTER OF PROTEST
TO MRS ASHTON, EU CHIEF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Dear Readers,
As you can see,
I wrote to Mrs Ashton, EU Chief Foreign Affairs, because of the ACCA trade deal between
EU and Israel, which is recently [on 23 october 2012] approved by the European Parliament
See also
http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/meps-endorse-controversial-eu-israel-trade-agreement/#.UIjUL2_tRuZ http://electronicintifada.net/content/european-parliament-must-reject-new-trade-deal-israel/11747?utm_source=EI+readers&utm_campaign=28bf6e8dfd-
RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
Kind greetings
Astrid Essed
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
TO MRS C ASHTON
HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY
EU RELATION WITH ISRAEL IN THE LIGHT OF THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR PEACE
''The Union's action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles which have
inspired its own creation, development and enlargement, and which it seeks to advance in the wider
world: democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and
fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity, the principles of equality and solidarity, and respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.''
Article 21, Lisbon Treaty
http://www.proyectos.cchs.csic.es/euroconstitution/library/Lisbon%20Treaty/Tratado%20de%20Lisboa/Treaty%20of%20Lisbon%20consolidated%20version.pdf Dear Mrs Ashton,
My sincere congratulations with the Nobelprize for Peace, which has
recently been given to the European Union
As you'll know, receiving this Prize is not only a great honour, it also shapes
the moral obligation and responsibility to promote peace and human rights in Europe and the rest of the world
However, with regard to the Middle Eastern conflict, the European Union has seriously failed to maintain International Law and human rights, by not taking a firm stand against the occupying power of the Palestinian territories.
The last sad proof of that failure:
Recently [23 october 2012] European Parliament approved a trade deal with Israel, the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptence of Industrial Products [ACAA], which will remove barriers to trade in pharmaceutical and industrial products between the EU and Israel.
This ACCA trade is not an isolated thing, but fits in a plan, that work will be undertaken
on about 60 different dossiers to strengthen relations between the EU and Israel [1]
ISRAEL, THE OCCUPYING COUNTRY
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, TORTURE OF PRISONERS, WARCRIMES
It's a bad signal for human rights to strengthen the relations with Israel, a State, that has a record in violating International Law for years.
Israel has occupied the Palestinian terriitories since 1967, despite
UN Security Resolution 242 [1967], which summoned Israel to withdraw from the areas it
had conquered in the june war [1967]
Despite this clear statement of International Law, Israel is still occupying country of the Palestinian areas and you know that.
In those 45 years of occupation, Israel not only suppressed the rights on freedom of the
Palestinians, it also committed many human rights violations and warcrimes, like the
continuing administrative detention and torture torture of Palestinian prisoners [2]and the indiscriminative military attacks on the Palestinian civilian population [3], which have been repeatedly condemned by European Union
SETTLEMENTS
Another hugh human rights violations is the existence of the settlements in the
occupied Palestinian territories, which are illegal according to International Law [4]
Despite the numerous condemnations of those settlements, among else by several
UN Security Resolutions, Israel continues the building of the settlements on the
West Bank and occupied Eastern Jerusalem
You, mrs Ashton, have recently condemned that [5], which is a good signal, but not enough
The European Union must take actual measures against Israel and that means NOT the
strenghtening of trade relations
BLOCKADE GAZA
Since Hamas took over power in 2007, Israel is blockading Gaza, which actually means the starvation of
the Gazan civilian population, because Israel has closed its border crossings
for food, medicines and other necessities of life [6]
This is not only a collective punishment, but also a warcrime
You know of course, that International Law forbids starvation as a form
of warfare [7], yet apart from the utter inhumanity, which has been condemned by human
rights organisations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Red
Cross, as Mr Falk, UN Special Rapporteur [8]
That the Israeli government now and then enlightens the blockade is not enough
It has to be lifted completely! [9]
MISSION OF THE EU
The Lisbon Treaty states, that indivisibly of human rights and fundamental
freedoms is one of the most important goals of the European Union
That sounds beautiful, but means a dead letter on paper, as long as it is not
applied in practice
Strengthening trade ties with a State, which acts with complete disrespect for
International Law, by occupying, stealing land [which is the practice of settlements],
committing warcrimes, starving the civilian population, building an illegal Wall [10] and torturing prisoners is the worst possible signal ever that the EU can give
Therefore the mission of the EU must be:
To give a clear signal to Israel,
that it has to respect International Law, which means withdrawing from the
occupied Palestinian territories and the Syrian Golan Heights, stop building and dismantling ALL settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, dismantling of the
illegal Israeli wall and bringing to Justice those, who have committed human rights
violations and warcrimes
By Israeli refusal the EU must take actual measures against Israel, like political
or economical sanctions
And of course at first the ending of the ACCA and other trade deals with Israel
EU condemnations are not enough, which the past has proved
However, if the EU continues on the path of symbolic condemnations and
strengthen the ties with Israel, the Nobel Prize for Peace means nothing and you can
throw the Lisbon Treaty into the fire
You are in the important position, to play a key part here
Don't forget, that if the European Union continues to support Israel by ACCA and other trades and not taking sanctions, it is co responsible for the Israeli occupation, the maintaining of the settlements and all to commit human rights violations and warcrimes
I don't think, the European will carry that on its conscience
Thank you sincerely for reading this letter
Kind greetings
Astrid Essed
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
[1]
THE GUARDIAN
EU MOVE TO UPGRADE RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL
23 JULY 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/23/israel-eu [2]
BTSELEM.ORG
DETAINEES AND PRISONERS
ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION
http://www.btselem.org/topic/administrative_detention TORTURE AND ABUSE UNDER INTERROGATION
http://www.btselem.org/topic/torture [3]
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
OPERATION CAST LEAD/22 DAYS OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf ISRAELI ATTACKS ON GAZA/DIRTY WAR AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN POPULATION
ASTRID ESSED
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/liverpool/2009/01/417434.html [4]
BTSELEM.ORG
SETTLEMENTS AND LAND
LAND EXPROPRIATION AND SETTLEMENTS
http://www.btselem.org/topic/settlements INTERNATIONAL LAW
http://www.btselem.org/settlements/international_law [5]
THE JERUSALEM POST
EU CHIEF SLAMS GILO NEIGHBOURHOOD EXPANSION PLAN
20 OCTOBER 2012
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=288562 OCCUPIED PALESTINE
EUROPEAN UNION SLAMS ISRAEL'S PLAN TO
EXPAND GILO SETTLEMENT
20 OCTOBER 2012
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/european-union-slams-israels-plan-to-expand-gilo-settlement/ [6]
BTSELEM.ORG
THE SIEGE ON GAZA
http://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/siege [7]
Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited.
ARTICLE 54, Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts
http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/FULL/470?OpenDocument SEE ALSO
www.icrc.org
[8]
BBC NEWS
UN OFFICIAL SLAMS ISRAEL CRIMES
10 December 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7774988.stm HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
ISRAEL'S FUEL AND POWER CUTS VIOLATE LAWS OF WAR
29 OCTOBER 2007
http://www.hrw.org/news/2007/10/28/gaza-israel-s-fuel-and-power-cuts-violate-laws-war AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
ISRAEL GAZA BLOCKADE MUST BE COMPLETELY LIFTED
17 JUNE 2010
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/israel-gaza-blockade-must-be-completely-lifted-2010-06-17 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
ISRAEL/GAZA/EASING BLOCAKDE OF IMPORT A FIRST STEP
21 JUNE 2010
http://www.hrw.org/news/2010/06/21/israelgaza-easing-blockade-imports-first-step THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS
ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES: PROVIDING SUPPORT
IN GAZA AND MONITORING DETAINEES IN HUNGER STRIKE
15 AUGUST 2012
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/update/2012/palestine-israel-update-2012-08-15.htm [9]
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
ISRAEL GAZA BLOCKADE MUST BE COMPLETELY LIFTED
17 JUNE 2010
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/israel-gaza-blockade-must-be-completely-lifted-2010-06-17 [10]
BTSELEM.ORG
SEPARATION BARRIER
http://www.btselem.org/topic/separation_barrier ADVISORY OPINION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
http://www.btselem.org/separation_barrier/international_court_decision