Less than 24 hours after Israel declared a unilateral cease-fire in Gaza, six European leaders went to Jerusalem yesterday (January 18, before the meeting in Egypt) to give their commitment to ending the arms smuggling into Gaza (!!!), in a move Jerusalem insisted was more than just an empty gesture. As one Israeli senior diplomatic official said, quoted by the Jerusalem Post "Six world leaders dropped everything to come here and express their support for Israel's security. That's not something that happens every day". That is how the Israelis used the situation in their convenience. And Haaretz goes further saying that "None of the European leaders condemned Israel for the casualties in Gaza".
The image on television of those six european leaders (Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown, Silvio Berlusconi and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero) at the gala dinner (!!!) at Olmert's residence, smiling and shaking the hands of israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (and also Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu) was pathetic! More than that, outrageous! As a european citizen I feel ashamed.
Yes, they might have thought that they should better hail the fragile Gaza cease-fire as an opportunity to revive Middle East peace efforts, but instead what our leaders should be discussing with Israel is an ultimatum, either peace (and retreat from gaza) or sanctions would be imposed. Discussing actions to prevent the israeli from buying arms (namely those forbidden internationaly) and imposing an economic embargo until they accept to worlds demands: leave palestinian occuped territory, free the prision of Gaza and open its borders and pay what they have destroyed.
Instead they will certainly propose a new peace conference with "world donours" who will pay for what Israel has destroyed (as a couple of years ago in Lebanon...). According to the Palestinian Authority some 4,000 houses were destroyed, as well as 48 government instalations and 20 mosques, as well as roads, schools and other infrastructure. According to western diplomats, as indicated by El Pais, reconstruction could cost some 1,600 million US dolars (1,200 million €). Now what is this? Do we european citizens want to use our tax money like this? I do not think so. And to support these "chicken" leaders? Are they afraid of Israelis? It seems so. Be ashamed, be very ashamed. Fortunately Portugal has taken, this weekend, a decision to close portuguese air traffic to any planes that would supply weapons to Israel while the war in Gaza went on... This might be quite symbolic and rhetoric (as we have seen with smuggling prisioners to Guantanamo) yet it is what european countries should be doing.
And all this happens only hours after Israel proposed to end a war in which they have murdered 1,300 Palestinians (of which 410 children and 108 women) and made more than 5,000 injured. The UN estimates that half of the dead were civilians. In Israeli side, 10 soldiers died and 3 civilians. Poor israeli hospitals, they must be undergoing a lot of stress these days... And not to forget the sad show of the many israelis coming to the hills around Gaza to safely watch the action of the israeli army destroying Gaza, and shouting "bravo!).
And in the meantime Hamas pretends to have won the war... also pathetic, oh what a world...
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The image on television of those six european leaders (Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown, Silvio Berlusconi and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero) at the gala dinner (!!!) at Olmert's residence, smiling and shaking the hands of israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (and also Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu) was pathetic! More than that, outrageous! As a european citizen I feel ashamed.
Yes, they might have thought that they should better hail the fragile Gaza cease-fire as an opportunity to revive Middle East peace efforts, but instead what our leaders should be discussing with Israel is an ultimatum, either peace (and retreat from gaza) or sanctions would be imposed. Discussing actions to prevent the israeli from buying arms (namely those forbidden internationaly) and imposing an economic embargo until they accept to worlds demands: leave palestinian occuped territory, free the prision of Gaza and open its borders and pay what they have destroyed.
Instead they will certainly propose a new peace conference with "world donours" who will pay for what Israel has destroyed (as a couple of years ago in Lebanon...). According to the Palestinian Authority some 4,000 houses were destroyed, as well as 48 government instalations and 20 mosques, as well as roads, schools and other infrastructure. According to western diplomats, as indicated by El Pais, reconstruction could cost some 1,600 million US dolars (1,200 million €). Now what is this? Do we european citizens want to use our tax money like this? I do not think so. And to support these "chicken" leaders? Are they afraid of Israelis? It seems so. Be ashamed, be very ashamed. Fortunately Portugal has taken, this weekend, a decision to close portuguese air traffic to any planes that would supply weapons to Israel while the war in Gaza went on... This might be quite symbolic and rhetoric (as we have seen with smuggling prisioners to Guantanamo) yet it is what european countries should be doing.
And all this happens only hours after Israel proposed to end a war in which they have murdered 1,300 Palestinians (of which 410 children and 108 women) and made more than 5,000 injured. The UN estimates that half of the dead were civilians. In Israeli side, 10 soldiers died and 3 civilians. Poor israeli hospitals, they must be undergoing a lot of stress these days... And not to forget the sad show of the many israelis coming to the hills around Gaza to safely watch the action of the israeli army destroying Gaza, and shouting "bravo!).
And in the meantime Hamas pretends to have won the war... also pathetic, oh what a world...
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1 commentaire:
It is really pathetic situation and shameful reality....the question is why? I dont understand...
Alaa - Brussels
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