The European Union has formally demanded that Israel allow a PLO delegation from attending a London conference dealing with political reforms in the Palestinian Authority and the diplomatic process. The Israeli government decided to ban the PA's participation in the conference in response to the double attack in Tel Aviv on Sunday that killed 22 people. The attack was perpetrated by terrorists of Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization, and the ban was meant to prevent his men "from organizing terrorist attacks one day and then parading around the world presenting themselves as peace-seekers," according to Finance Minister Silvan Shalom. The EU announcement of today condemns Israel's decision to ban the delegation, which it says will "perpetuate the hatred and extremism in the region."
England's Prime Minister Tony Blair, too, has sent an urgent message to Ariel Sharon, demanding that he rescind the decision. Sources in London say that Blair is angered at Sharon's decision, which appears likely to lead to the cancellation of the British-organized conference.
HaTzofeh angrily editorialized today,
“Britain, which pursued boats carrying Holocaust survivors, has never changed its attitude towards the Jewish people and the State of Israel... The self-righteous British know that there is no value to a meeting with Palestinian figures and that these meetings only give legitimacy to continued terror... The British are interested in economic gains from the Arab countries, not truth and justice... Those who finance the martyrs and terror must rot in prison, and the British Foreign Minister must ask himself the questions that troubled Clinton: Why did Arafat reject the Israeli offer to return almost to the 1967 borders? The answer is known: The Palestinian leadership wants the destruction of Israel and not peace. Britain, if judged by her past and present behavior, is apparently interested in advancing those aims. The proof: Money from the EU, of which Britain is part, flows with an open hand to the extreme Israeli Left, which wants to return Israel to indefensible borders.”
Jerusalem Post columnist Michael Freund, too, commented on the hypocrisy of Britain's stance and that of its Foreign Secretary Jack Straw:
"It was just over 15 months ago, in September 2001, that Straw [said on a visit to Iran], 'I understand that one of the factors which helps breed terrorism is the anger which many people in this region feel at events over the years in Palestine.' … Interestingly, when it comes to “the environment which breeds” the likes of Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin-Laden, the British Foreign Secretary sees no comparable need to understand the “anger” at work…
"…The British government has shown itself to be increasingly hostile toward Israel of late. Last month, British Prime Minister Tony Blair refused to meet with Foreign Minister Netanyahu during the latter’s visit to London, citing a “busy schedule”, though he managed to find plenty of time to roll out the red carpet for Bashar al-Assad, the Dictator of Damascus… The British government won’t sell Israel vital spare parts that are needed for its fleet of F-4 Phantoms, despite the looming war with Iraq… When it comes to Her Majesty’s own “occupied territories”, such as Northern Ireland, Straw is surprisingly silent about the need for “withdrawal” as a means of achieving a lasting peace. His government will gladly tell Israel to abandon the heart of its ancestral homeland, where the founding fathers of the Jewish people are buried, but would never countenance yielding the Falkland Islands, with its incomparable flocks of sheep, to Argentina."
England's Prime Minister Tony Blair, too, has sent an urgent message to Ariel Sharon, demanding that he rescind the decision. Sources in London say that Blair is angered at Sharon's decision, which appears likely to lead to the cancellation of the British-organized conference.
HaTzofeh angrily editorialized today,
“Britain, which pursued boats carrying Holocaust survivors, has never changed its attitude towards the Jewish people and the State of Israel... The self-righteous British know that there is no value to a meeting with Palestinian figures and that these meetings only give legitimacy to continued terror... The British are interested in economic gains from the Arab countries, not truth and justice... Those who finance the martyrs and terror must rot in prison, and the British Foreign Minister must ask himself the questions that troubled Clinton: Why did Arafat reject the Israeli offer to return almost to the 1967 borders? The answer is known: The Palestinian leadership wants the destruction of Israel and not peace. Britain, if judged by her past and present behavior, is apparently interested in advancing those aims. The proof: Money from the EU, of which Britain is part, flows with an open hand to the extreme Israeli Left, which wants to return Israel to indefensible borders.”
Jerusalem Post columnist Michael Freund, too, commented on the hypocrisy of Britain's stance and that of its Foreign Secretary Jack Straw:
"It was just over 15 months ago, in September 2001, that Straw [said on a visit to Iran], 'I understand that one of the factors which helps breed terrorism is the anger which many people in this region feel at events over the years in Palestine.' … Interestingly, when it comes to “the environment which breeds” the likes of Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin-Laden, the British Foreign Secretary sees no comparable need to understand the “anger” at work…
"…The British government has shown itself to be increasingly hostile toward Israel of late. Last month, British Prime Minister Tony Blair refused to meet with Foreign Minister Netanyahu during the latter’s visit to London, citing a “busy schedule”, though he managed to find plenty of time to roll out the red carpet for Bashar al-Assad, the Dictator of Damascus… The British government won’t sell Israel vital spare parts that are needed for its fleet of F-4 Phantoms, despite the looming war with Iraq… When it comes to Her Majesty’s own “occupied territories”, such as Northern Ireland, Straw is surprisingly silent about the need for “withdrawal” as a means of achieving a lasting peace. His government will gladly tell Israel to abandon the heart of its ancestral homeland, where the founding fathers of the Jewish people are buried, but would never countenance yielding the Falkland Islands, with its incomparable flocks of sheep, to Argentina."