Danny Ayalon, founder of the public advocacy organization "The Truth about Israel" and formerly Israel’s ambassador to the United States and Deputy Foreign Minister, told Arutz Sheva on Sunday he hopes the current wave of terrorism in Europe will take the European Union’s decision to label so-called “settlement products” off the agenda.
"Today European countries are beginning to ask questions. The Hungarians and Poles are asking ‘what nonsense are we dealing with when the real threats we face are here?’”, Ayalon said.
"I hope the issue of the ‘occupation’ and the settlements will gradually disappear from the agenda, that they will realize it's not a threat to Europe, but that Israel is a loyal partner in their security and the future of the West. It will happen slowly and in a natural internal process," he continued.
According to Ayalon, Israel should let the Europeans draw their conclusions alone.
"We need to exercise caution, the reaction of the Prime Minister immediately after the terrorist attacks in Paris was very measured, he expressed solidarity and offered Israel’s help, but he did not connect between our terror and their terror, as that would have just annoyed them,” he said.
"We should let them come to conclusions alone, understand one thing from another. Of course, in the background discussions we must explain that terrorism is terrorism and that what starts as Palestinian terror ends in terrorism against the world. When the Palestinians hijacked our planes in the late 1960s, it started with El Al flights and ended with other airlines. The same was true of the suicide attacks, but we must let them understand all of this on their and not come and say 'we told you so', because it would upset them," added Ayalon.
It should be noted that Hungary has already said it does not endorse labeling of products from Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights throughout the EU, as Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó declared during a meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week.
"We do not support the decision to make a special mark on products coming from the West Bank [Judea-Samaria - ed.] or the Golan Heights," Szijjártó stated, adding, "This step is inefficient and illogical. It would only hurt attempts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."