Israeli Ambassador to Italy Naor Gilon sharply criticized the European Union (EU) Thursday for its stance on the three Israeli teens who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists last Thursday, accusing the Europeans of supporting the abduction.
Gilon argued in interviews to the Italian media that the European nations supported Hamas's inclusion in the recently formed unity government with the Palestinian Authority (PA), thereby supporting a terrorist organization that acts to kidnap Israeli citizens, reports Yedioth Aharonoth.
"Unfortunately, the European Union ignores the conditions it itself placed on recognition of Hamas. The recognition by the European Union of the Palestinian unity government with Hamas (in it) gives international legitimacy to a government that has a terror organization acting within it," leveled the ambassador.
The conditions the EU called for were to include a commitment to the "two state solution" based on the 1949 Armistice lines, and recognition of Israel's right to exist. Hamas has vocally reiterated it's commitment to terrorism and destroying Israel.
Nevertheless, the EU not only welcomed the recent Hamas-Fatah unity government, but in fact sent a delegation of EU officials to the Hamas-enclave of Gaza last Wednesday to meet Gaza-based members of the unity government.
Hamas is on the EU's list of terrorist organizations. That listing specifically includes both "Hamas" and "Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem," meaning that both the military and governmental branches of Hamas are recognized as terror groups by the EU.
Gilon's criticism follows that of Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Ron Prosor, who on Wednesday accused the world reaction to the kidnapping of being "weak."
"There are a lot of things here connected to the delegitimization and dehumanization of the state of Israel, and you need to change the right of opposition. Legitimate criticism is fine and dandy, but we aren't prepared to accept the delegitimization and dehumanization of the state of Israel," declared Prosor.
Prosor's words came right after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's spokesperson Farhan Haq said Tuesday that the UN has no "concrete evidence" that the kidnapping really happened.
The statement raised question marks, particularly given Ban's condemnation of the kidnapping on Saturday, in which he equated it with an IAF airstrike on Gaza in response to four rocket attacks.