Obstacles to peace
Sunday, August 10th, 200810/8/08
The EU has once again condemned Israeli settlement building in occupied Palestinian territory. It did so in no uncertain terms on Friday in a statement that clearly and unequivocally called settlement building in all occupied territory, including East Jerusalem, illegal. Good for the EU. The problem is, Israel just does not care. Why should it? Last month, the EU expanded trade ties with Israel. And so, earlier in the week, Israel announced tenders for another 400 settlements in Jerusalem. Late last month, the country announced it would approve a new settlement in the Jordan Valley. Israel does not care what the EU says or does, because the EU remains Israel’s greatest trading partner. It is a weapon Europe has never used. There is some vague provision that the EU will not buy goods or produce from Israeli settlements that by all accounts is easily and constantly avoided simply by putting “Made in Israel” on the label.
