European Parliament approves EU-Israel letter/Letter of protest to EU’s Ashton
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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...
http://electronicintifada.net/conte... 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/e...
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/201...
[2]
BTSELEM.ORG
DETAINEES AND PRISONERS ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION
http://www.btselem.org/topic/admini...
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/a...
ISRAELI ATTACKS ON GAZA/DIRTY WAR AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN POPULATION ASTRID ESSED
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regi...
[4]
BTSELEM.ORG
SETTLEMENTS AND LAND LAND EXPROPRIATION AND SETTLEMENTS
http://www.btselem.org/topic/settlements
INTERNATIONAL LAW
http://www.btselem.org/settlements/...
[5]
THE JERUSALEM POST EU CHIEF SLAMS GILO NEIGHBOURHOOD EXPANSION PLAN 20 OCTOBER 2012
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPo...
OCCUPIED PALESTINE EUROPEAN UNION SLAMS ISRAEL’S PLAN TO EXPAND GILO SETTLEMENT
20 OCTOBER 2012
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress....
[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/47...
SEE ALSO
[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/...
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ISRAEL GAZA BLOCKADE MUST BE COMPLETELY LIFTED 17 JUNE 2010
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-...
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ISRAEL/GAZA/EASING BLOCAKDE OF IMPORT A FIRST STEP 21 JUNE 2010
http://www.hrw.org/news/2010/06/21/...
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/d...
[9]
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ISRAEL GAZA BLOCKADE MUST BE COMPLETELY LIFTED 17 JUNE 2010
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-...
[10]
BTSELEM.ORG
SEPARATION BARRIER
http://www.btselem.org/topic/separa...
ADVISORY OPINION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
