Israel Matzav

Euroweenies call on Israel to support Hamas

If they hand out awards for chutzpa at the end of the year, this one ought to be up there.

The Euroweenies are calling on Israel to support Hamas using their 'mechanism' for paying 'Palestinian Authority' salaries without paying 'Palestinian Authority' salaries. In an interview to be published in the JPost on Thursday, EC Ambassador Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal says that the EU is seeking 'consensus' among the Quartet members in terms of the scope and shape of the funding mechanism it is developing to facilitate the delivery of 'humanitarian aid' to the 'Palestinians' while preventing the flow of money to the Hamas-led government. According to Cibrian-Uzal, a major objective of the funding mechanism is to provide a conduit for Israel to release the $55 million a month in tax revenues it collects for the PA toward 'humanitarian aid' in the PA territories.

"The modus operandi of the Quartet was that no member of the Quartet explicitly vetoes this over objections." He added that obtaining Israel's release of the funds was "a major objective, not the only objective" in the EU's development of the mechanism.

It will be interesting to hear the Bush administration's reaction.

In the interview, Cibrian-Uzal also says that the EU will not go along with Ehud Olmert's convergence consolidation surrender plan.

"The European position is that the EU will recognize changes to the '67 borders only as a result of agreements between the parties, and I don't think there has been a change in that position," Cibrian-Uzal said.

However, were Israel to move to withdraw from territory in the West Bank that the international community considers "occupied," Europe would likely provide political support so long as it did not impede the possibility of a negotiated peace at a later date, he said. In other words, we can surrender some territory so long as it doesn't preclude us surrendering the rest later. No quid pro quos for Ehud.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:52 AM