European parliamentarians were pleased on Thursday with the speech that was made by Gershon Mesika, the head of the Shomron Regional Council, at an official meeting of the EU Parliament in Brussels.
Mesika is the first leader of the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria to participate as a guest of honor at an official event in the European Parliament. During the special conference, the parliamentarians met with Jews from Judea and Samaria, as well as with Arabs from the region.
The conference was a reciprocal event to a tour in Samaria taken four months ago by the Vice Chairman of the Foreign Committee of the European Parliament, Dr. Fiorello Provera.
Belgian MP Frank Creyelman told Arutz Sheva that meetings with both Jews and Arabs are important because they help Europeans better understand the issues at hand.
“Encounters like this are very important because we see not only the Jewish side of the story, which we know and which we support, but also the Palestinian side of the story,” he said. “And of course, being a nationalist, I can cope with both these native peoples who have their way of thinking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Creyelman added, “In our country it’s quite important because we have a lot of Muslim immigrants who tend to be more radical than they are in the Middle East.”
His remarks were echoed by Belgian MP Tanguy Veys, who noted that “in Europe and Belgium, most supporters of the Palestinian cause are Muslim extremists and extreme left politicians. For the first time, I felt that there’s also a possibility to have a peace message.”
European Parliament member Filip DeWinter echoed his colleagues’ sentiments and also had an important message for Israelis.
“People in Israel have to know that they have a lot of friends here in Europe, because I think we have a common struggle going on: the struggle against radical Islam,” said DeWinter. “We are aware of the fact that Israel is the only European, Western and democratic country in the Middle East, surrounded by radical Islamic countries who want to kick all the Israelis into the sea.”
During his speech to the members of the EU Parliament, Mesika said, “Those in Europe who push for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the meaning of their actions may be cutting the heart of the country and an existential threat to Israel. If we go, the terror will arrive in our place.”
At the end of his speech Mesika explained why European countries should support and strengthen the settlement in Judea and Samaria.
“The European countries must understand that without the State of Israel there's no stopping the Islamic tide from washing up Europe, and that without Judea and Samaria the State of Israel is not viable,” he said.
The speech received a round of applause and support from the members of the European Parliament, dozens of whom have visited and toured Samaria and the Samaria Regional Council.