From Haaretz, again
There appears to be some suspense brewing in Israel over a “secret” report recently delivered to EU headquarters in Brussels that thrusts Israel’s domestic inequality issues with respect to its Palestinian Israeli citizens as a “core issue” right up there with the Occupation . Unprecedented in its scope the classified working paper, produced by European embassies in Israel, deals with Israel’s internal issues surrounding its Palestinian Israeli population.
The report originally included suggestions for actions the EU should take, but due to objections from several countries, the report was then “watered down” and these actions were removed and it has now been dubbed a “food for thought” document.
According to Haaretz this has been taking place for over a year, “behind the back of the Israeli government”, whatever that means. Excuse my manners, but I wasn’t aware that embassies were required to filter their reports through their host countries.
The contents of the 27-page report were kept under wraps, and a number of European diplomats contacted by Haaretz over the past two weeks refused to disclose any details. Foreign Ministry officials said they had heard about it unofficially from some European diplomats a few weeks ago, but to date no Israeli official has been able to obtain a copy.
It is the nature and handling of this report that makes it unusual. Originally, before it was stripped, it advised the EU file an official protest every time a bill discriminating against Arabs passes a second reading in the Knesset, and that the EU ensure that all Arab towns have completed urban plans, “with each member state potentially ‘adopting’ a municipality to this end.”
The document suggests that the EU discuss Jewish-Arab relations with the Israeli government, while stressing the government’s obligation to bridge the gaps between the Jewish majority and Arab minority.
“We should emphasize that addressing inequality within Israel is integral to Israel’s long-term stability,” the document says.
The document also relates to the demand made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
“We do not believe that recognition of Israel as a Jewish State should detract in any way from the vision of equality for all its citizens enshrined in its founding documents,” the report says.
“It is in the interests of all Israelis to demonstrate that Israel is not only Jewish and democratic, but tolerant and inclusive, and that these are patriotic values. We believe in common with most Israelis that Israeli nationality is an inclusive concept which can accommodate equally those of other faiths and ethnic origins.”
I wonder what else got stripped beside protesting every time a bill discriminating against Arabs passes a second reading in the Knesset. According to this report its purpose was to debate these issues at a forum with EU foreign ministers and had it not been scrapped, I wonder how many other racist bills would be allowed their second reading uncontested by these embassies while the EU was debating this report. But that makes little sense if it was once an action plan and now it isn’t. If its purpose is for mere debate what would be the point of drafting up an action plan? And what’s with this ‘recognition as a Jewish state’ thrown in? How does this notion of recognition accommodate equally those of other faiths and ethnic origins ?
This was allegedly initiated by the UK, whose ambassador to Israel just happens to be Matthew Gould, of the Fox-Gould-Werritty triangle. Hmmm. If the British government were so into promoting equality in Israel why didn’t they pipe up around the time of the J14 protests last summer (or before this latest round of draconian legislation was finalized). Curious minds want to know.
Excuse me for thinking this might be part of a grand strategy to clean up Israel’s image which has been on a downhill trajectory for as long as I can remember. Let’s see how Netanyahu responds. Something’s in the works and it smells a little too fishy to me, or maybe that’s just the stench of apartheid I can’t get out of my reality. Nothing like a little “secrecy” to get the ball rolling but it sounds a day late and a dollar short to me. A year? Things move slow in the holy land, except for the settlements that is, they are moving awfully fast. So step up to the plate guys, don’t dilly dally for another year deciding which way the wind blows.
I wonder who is about to be Goldstone’d…
Well for a secret report it’s not very secret, the Israelis have all the details of the report. LOL
My guess would be US zionist Ambassador, Shapiro, got wind of what the other embassies were doing and passed it on to the US and Israel and the US did some watering down on the EU countries involved.
The Israelis will see it as more delegitimization of Israel naturally. The thing about reports like this is there is never any actual action on them. But some debate is better than nothing.
Looks to me like some powers, the EU and maybe others, could be using the non lethal drip,drip,drip on the forehead form of water torture on Israel in hopes of
forcing them to change since no other appeals, even Israeli self interest appeals have not worked.
I don’t want to assume anything but Hillary’s recent comments on Israel’s women’s rights and others comments, could if one wants to be optimistic or conspiratorial, add up to a organized drip,drip,drip campaign on Israel.
“IF” there were a drip campaign on Israel it could eventually wear it down to a nub and exhaust their excuses/defenses.
Then again it could make them even more intractable and aggressive. Depends on how smart Israel is which to date is not very.
RE: “EU considers making inequality of Israeli Palestinians a ‘core issue’ ”
FOR INSTANCE: Palestinian envoy’s wife ‘forced back to Jerusalem during cancer treatment’, by Julian Borger, Guardian.co.uk, 12/16/11
ENTIRE ARTICLE – http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/16/palestinian-wife-forced-jerusalem-cancer-envoy-claims?newsfeed=true
Here annie, you or Phil do something with this…..it’s very interesting.
There are some points in this, although some is hypocritical.
Like the Repubs ‘using ‘ the holocuast..as if the Israel and the zios don’t.
But I think it shows how worried the Israel crowd is that Israel is getting so much public exposure in this campaign season.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/west-of-eden/top-holocaust-scholar-blasts-holocaust-abuse-by-u-s-israeli-politicians-1.401821
Top Holocaust scholar blasts ‘Holocaust-abuse’ by U.S., Israeli politicians
Deborah Lipstadt lambasts ‘unhealthy and embarrassing’ pandering of Republican presidential candidates; says U.S. envoy Gutman’s comments on Muslim anti-Semitism were ‘stupid.’
(excerpts)
Renowned Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt says that American and Israeli politicians who invoke the Holocaust for contemporary political purposes are engaging in “Holocaust abuse”, which is similar to “soft-core denial” of the Holocaust.
“I think it is dangerous, just plain dangerous. It’s a distortion of what Israel is all about, what Zionism is all about,” said Lipstadt,
“When you take these terrible moments in our history, and you use it for contemporary purposes, in order to fulfill your political objectives, you mangle history, you trample on it,” she said.
“This is the kind of thing that scares me,” she said. “Jews have always been neurotic – I mean everyone’s neurotic, we just recognize it more – but we’ve raised our neuroses to a level that’s not healthy. We should eschew hysteria, but we don’t. Hysteria is never useful.”
What are the Euros going to do?
Apartheid in the holy land is going to bring down Israel in the end.
Could be sooner than the Ziobots think. I don’t expect the EU to get involved however.