Israel Matzav

Europeans introduce UN resolution calling for talks based on 1949 armistice lines

The Europeans have introduced a resolution in the United Nations that ignores resolutions 242 and 338 and would have us return to the situation above - the division of Jerusalem based on the 1949 armistice lines.

A senior European diplomat told Walla! on Thursday that the resolution proposal includes the removal of the blockade on Gaza, transferring control of the Hamas stronghold to the Palestinian Authority (PA), and a return to peace talks based on the 1949 Armistice lines.
The specific imposition of pre-defined conditions in peace talks through a UN resolution, namely that they would be on the basis of the 1949 lines, is something that the US has been opposing for years. 

On the other hand, the US proposed the 1949 lines as a basis in framework proposals submitted earlier in the year, before the nine-month long negotiations with the PA failed in April as the PA signed a unity treaty with Hamas.

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According to the European diplomat who spoke on Thursday, the European proposal would have both sides stop attacking and define detailed security arrangements for removing the blockade while preventing an influx of weapons to Hamas.

"As far as Europe is concerned, it's impossible to separate the issue of Gaza from the general Palestinian issue. Only a sustainable diplomatic solution will bring a long quiet for the two peoples," said the European source. 

He added that France put pressure on the US through diplomatic channels to publish US Secretary of State John Kerry's framework plan after the Israel-PA negotiations collapsed, so as to turn it into a program for the international community to pursue.

For it's part, Israel reportedly is distancing itself from the European proposal, primarily due to the call for 1949 Armistice lines as a basis for talks.

An Israeli diplomatic source said Thursday that Israel has not ruled out renewed truce talks in Cairo, but expects Hamas to completely end its rocket barrage first. Hamas has broken numerous ceasefires through the course of Operation Protective Edge, most recently this Tuesday.

I wouldn't expect any better of the Europeans. The problem is that at the moment, we can't expect any better of the President of the United States either.

Labels: European obsession with Israel, UN Security Council Resolution 242, UN Security Council Resolution 338, United Nations Security Council

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:46 AM