Full circle: Europeans want to be part of 'peace talks'
When I was a kid, the one thing everyone in Israel feared was an 'international peace conference' at which Israel would be vastly outnumbered. No, insisted Israeli policymakers. We will negotiate individually with each Arab country (recall that there were no 'Palestinians' when I was a kid). In the 1990's, Israel negotiated over peace with Jordan (successfully - or so it seemed), with Syria and with the 'Palestinians' (unsuccessfully). Now, the Obama administration is insisting on having 'peace talks' under its sponsorship. And guess who wants a position at the table. France wants the European Union to have a seat at the table during next week's start of US-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Washington.Catherine Ashton would be as unwelcome here as Obama, if only Israelis knew who she is.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said it would be "too bad" if the EU were locked out — noting the bloc's political involvement in the region and its role as a top contributor of financial aid to the Palestinians.
Kouchner said in a speech Friday to French ambassadors that he has written a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressing his concern.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:44 AM
3 Comments:
I think this has more to do with Sarkozy's low opinion of Obama than it does with "peace". Of course the whole thing is a charade, so why not let everyone play who wants to....
If the EU sits at the table with the US, Israel, and the Palis, what side will they sit on...
what could go wrong?
The Europeans are going to take the Arab side. Israel should tell them the future of their own country is none of their business. This has to be resolved by the two peoples who live in the same land. Outsiders would only complicate efforts to arrive at solution acceptable to both Israel and the Palestinians.
Post a Comment
<< Home