EU UPDATE: 6.24.16 - Abbas to EU: Stop global terrorism by ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine

Abbas to EU: Stop global terrorism by ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine - http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Abbas-Stop-global-terrorism-by-ending-the-Israeli-occupation-of-Palestine-457549

 

"Our hands are extended with a desire for peace," Abbas says in speech to European Parliament.

 

Global terrorism will end if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday as he condemned all forms of such violence.

 

"We are against terrorism in whatever form it may take and whoever carries it out," he said as he delivered a long address before the European Parliament in Brussels.

 

Palestinians stand with the Europeans in their fight against terrorism, Abbas said.

 

His statement was greeted by strong applause from the politicians in the room.

 

"In order to overcome terrorism, we also need to end Israeli occupation by creating a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital," Abbas said. He spoke in Arabic and his words were translated into English by the EU.

 

The absence of a two-state solution, he said, would give "pretext to those who commit terrorism in the name of religion."

 

However, he said, "once this occupation ends, those pretexts will disappears and extremism will be over as will terrorism." "There will be no more terrorism in the Middle East nor elsewhere in the world," Abbas said.

 

His speech did not touch on Palestinian terrorism against Israelis, including the shooting attack in which two Palestinian terrorists killed four Israelis as they sat in a Tel Aviv Cafe in the Sarona Market area earlier this month.

 

He did however accuse Israel of massacring Palestinians and other atrocities against his people. He alleged that extremist rabbis had encouraged Israelis to poison the Palestinian water supply.

 

Abbas is in Brussels at the same time as Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. The Palestinian president rejected an EU proposal to meet with Rivlin.

 

But he spoke to the Israeli public from the podium at the European Parliament.

 

"Our hands are extended with a desire for peace," Abbas said.

 

"We have the political will to achieve peace and we ask you [Israelis], do you have the same political will to achieve peace and to acknowledge the historic injustice your state has exacted on our country," Abbas said.

 

"Our history has been frankly one of a continued existence in this territory since the dawn of civilization until now," he said.

 

"Peace is in everyone's interest and I hope that you, Israelis, neighbors, believe in that too.

 

"Let us build a peace, which does not involve hegemony or colonization or aggression," Abbas said.

 

There should be "peace and coexistence on the basis of justice, law, respect and dignity for all parties involved on an equal footing," Abbas said.

 

"That peace will be a genuine guarantee of security, stability and a promising future for our generations to come," he added.

 

 

EU to offer 'unprecedented package' to induce peace deal - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/213920#.V2lkzY-cE2x

 

In first official EU visit at president, Reuven Rivlin says Israel-EU relations should continue independently of conflict with Palestinians.

 

The President of the European Council has said the European Union will offer an "unprecedented package" to induce Israel and the Palestinian Authority to reach a two-state solution, in a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Brussels.

 

The European Council is essentially the policy-making body of the EU.

 

In his first official visit to EU institutions as president, Rivlin said Israeli-EU relations can and should remain strong independently of the conflict with the Palestinians.

 

"Promoting peace in the Middle East is a vital interest of Israel. At the same time, I believe that our special bi-lateral relations can grow and develop in an independent way," Rivlin told President Donald Tusk, calling him "a true friend of Israel."

 

"I see it as a sign of the great importance of the relations between the State of Israel and the European Union," Rivlin added. "The European Union is Israel's largest partner in all areas: trade, science, environment and culture. As a leading force in science and innovation, Israel is proud to share its technology, research and development with Europe."

 

Apart from shared interests, Israel and Europe "share the most basic values of democracy, freedom of speech, liberalism, and human dignity," he added. "These values are a strong base to increase cooperation, in more areas."

 

In response, Tusk emphasized the growing security and defense ties between Israel and EU states, in the face of a mutual threat from Islamic terrorism.

 

"I expressed again my condolences for the victims of the recent attack in Tel Aviv, and I welcomed Israel's offer to deepen our cooperation on counter-terrorism," he declared. "Terrorism can only be defeated if we face it together."

 

But he went on to reaffirm the EU's support for a French-led initiative to impose a "peace deal" between Israel and the PA.

 

"A lasting peace in the region has been made a top priority for the European community, we continue to work with both sides and to coordinate with the partners in the Middle East in order to support the 'two state solution'," he said.

 

"The European Union is ready back up a peace deal with an unprecedented package of cooperation and support to both sides," Tusk added, while indicating Brussels would also continue funding radical anti-Israel NGOs.

 

"The European Union will continue to provide assistance to Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to enable them to meet their basic humanitarian and development needs," he stated.

 

Rivlin and Tusk also discussed the situation in Syria and Lebanon, and global spread of the Islamic State terrorist group.

 

 

To Israel's dismay, EU ministers expected to back French peace push - http://www.timesofisrael.com/to-israels-dismay-eu-ministers-to-meet-on-backing-french-peace-push/

 

European states 'ignoring' Jerusalem's objections despite preferring direct talks, official says ahead of meeting

 

The European Union's foreign ministers are to meet Monday to vote in support of the French peace initiative, a proclamation expected to bolster Paris's efforts to kick start Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

 

Earlier this month, representatives from 28 Arab and Western countries, the Arab League, European Union and the United Nations met in Paris to discuss ways in which the international community could help advance the Palestinian-Israel peace process. 

 

Neither Israeli nor Palestinian representatives were invited to attend the meeting, which aimed to lay the ground for a full-fledged peace conference to be held by the end of the year.

 

The Palestinians have welcomed the French bid but Israel has said the initiative would go down in history as having "pushed peace further away."

 

Israeli officials told the Haaretz daily that the Foreign Ministry failed to prevent the EU foreign ministers' motion from being passed, and that it's now focusing efforts on getting them to soften the announcement's language.

 

France has reportedly pressed EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the other 27 foreign ministers of the EU states to throw their weight behind Paris's initiative. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said the French managed to garner the support of their EU allies to push for an international peace conference by year's end.

 

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014 amid mutual recriminations.

 

"Everyone agrees with us in principle that direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are preferable," an unnamed senior official in Jerusalem told Haaretz. "But in practice, they're ignoring our objections to the French initiative. Most states don't understand our position."

 

The official said that the overwhelming support for Paris's proposal stems mostly from the fact that "there's no other initiative on the table that tries to break the freeze in the peace process."

 

The summit of EU foreign ministers will be the latest in France's efforts to bring the international community together for a peace conference. Senior French envoy Pierre Vimont, tasked with shepherding the peace effort, met Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry Friday for talks on future steps he will take to prepare for a conference to revive the moribund peace process.

 

The Arab League said its secretary general Nabil Elaraby held similar talks with Vimont.

 

On Thursday, Egyptian ambassador Hazem Khairat said Cairo was willing to help create an "appropriate Palestinian environment" to facilitate an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

 

During a speech at the Herzliya Conference, Khairat hailed the current French peace initiative "as contributing to the framework of international action to this end."

 

The ministerial meeting in Paris earlier this month, he said, "has certainly made a new step toward peace."