Europe stalls on closer Israel links in Gaza protest

European commission moves to upgrade political and trade links with Israel on hold, diplomats say

Ian Traynor | The Guardian

European plans to turn Israel into a “privileged” partner enjoying special political, diplomatic and trade links were frozen by Brussels today in protest at the Israeli onslaught in Gaza.

Senior officials and diplomats in Brussels also said Czech pressure to stage a Europe-Israel summit to launch a new “special relationship” was facing stiff resistance and would probably not take place.

Senior figures in Brussels said the European move was ordered by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the commissioner for external relations, who instructed various departments of the European commission to suspend implementation of a policy decided last year “to upgrade” relations between Israel and the EU.

“Senior people are saying there should be a pause in close ties between Israel and the union,” said a European diplomat.

“The commission has frozen contacts with the Israelis on practical aspects of the upgrade,” another diplomat said.

Commission officials denied that the decision amounted to sanctions against Israel. “There’s been no talk of sanctions. We’re very focused on the Egyptian [ceasefire] plan,” said a senior official.

The EU and the Israeli government agreed last summer on the new policy giving Tel Aviv a privileged partnership with Europe, entailing greater integration into Europe’s single market.

Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal, the EU commission’s ambassador to Israel, told reporters in Jerusalem today that the war in Gaza meant bilateral relations between Israel and the 27-nation bloc “cannot proceed business as usual”.

He said: “In a war situation, in a situation in which Israel is at war, using its war means in a very dramatic way, in a powerful way in Gaza, everybody realises that it is not the appropriate time to upgrade bilateral relations.”

The decision to suspend implementation comes as a blow to the Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, a month before she faces the rightwing hawk Benjamin Netanyahu in a general election.

The new European policy was in part designed to help Livni win the election and late last year she had two “tempestuous” meetings with Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, demanding quicker European action to boost her poll chances. EU foreign ministers responded with a decision to push ahead with the policy.

While the practical impact of the freeze may be minimal, officials said, the political and symbolic signals are strong, controversial and unusual.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if people like Fererro-Waldner were working not on an upgrade, but on a downgrade,” said a third diplomat in Brussels.

The protest move has been orchestrated by the commission which, at a meeting in Strasbourg yesterday, agreed that “people should stay away from Israel”, said another source.

The decision is likely to run into strong criticism among governments of the 27 member states. The Czech Republic assumed the EU presidency at the beginning of the year with a robust pro-Israeli campaign in mind. “The Czech presidency is seen to be very keen to take an American line on this,” said the source.

The Czechs have been seeking to organise a European summit with Israel in May or June in Prague to mark the launch of the new deal.

“They want a highly symbolic summit to demonstrate the EU’s partnership with Israel as particularly privileged,” said one of the diplomats. “It’s all off for the moment; particularly inappropriate. It would be tremendously divisive.”

British diplomats neither supported nor opposed the commission move, saying only that the priority was to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

Five injured during Bil’in demonstration

Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Apartheid Wall and Settlements

Friday 16th January 2009

Residents of Bil’in demonstrate against the Israeli’s rejection of the international efforts for ceasefire.

The residents of Bil’in today gathered after the Friday prayer in an act of solidarity with the people of Gaza. They were joined by international activists and the Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall, all opposing the war on Gaza. The protesters carried Palestinian, Venezuelan, and Bolivian flags, in a show of support for the two South American countries who, this week, cut diplomatic ties with Israel due to the war on Gaza.

The demonstration was symbolically silent, as the protesters wore the UN, EU, and the Arab League flags on their chests and carried shoes bearing Israeli and American flags in their mouths, to symbolize the power the two countries have to gag that rest of the world. Other demonstrators wearing the three flags covered their mouths with tape to show the world’s silence presented by the UN, EU and the Arab League against the Israeli massacres in Gaza.

The values of human rights and respect that the international law protect are being violated by the Israeli and the American government, all these rights and decisions are denied by Israel.

The protest marched towards the wall which is built on Bil’in’s land, the Israeli army was behind concrete blocks and fired tear gas canisters as soon as the crowed got closer. The army chased the protest back to the village using rubber coated steel bullets and tear gas. Dozens suffered tear gas inhalation and four were shot with live bullets: Their names are Abdullah Ahmad Yasen, Yasen Mohammed Yasen, Wajdi Abu Rahme and Mohammed Shukat Al- Khatib.

The Israeli army kidnapped Rashad Abed Dar-Aldeik yesterday (15th January) when he was near the Apartheid Wall. He was taken to Ofer prison

‘Israeli produce boycotted’

Yair Hason | Ynet

Global calls for BDS of Israel grow
Global calls for BDS of Israel grow
Farmers claim UK, Jordan boycotting Israeli fruit: Fruit growers disappointed by canceled orders from abroad, leaving produce to rot in warehouses

Fruit growers in Israel have reported delays and reductions in orders from abroad since the military operation in Gaza was launched, due to various boycotts against Israeli produce.

Farmers say much of their produce is being held in warehouses due to canceled orders, and fear a sharp decrease in fruit exports to countries such as Jordan, Britain, and the Scandinavian countries.

“We export persimmons, and because of the fighting a number of countries and distributors are canceling orders,” Giora Almagor, of the southern town of Bitzaron, told Ynet. He said some of the produce had already been shipped while some was awaiting shipment in warehouses.

Almagor said a large number of cancellations came from Jordan. “The produce stays packed in warehouses, and this is causing us massive losses,” he said.

“The longer the fruit waits in storage after sorting, the more its quality decreases. We also have to pay for cooling the merchandise that should have already left, and the cost in considerable,” he added.

Ilan Eshel, director of the Organization of Fruit Growers in Israel, said Scandinavian countries have also been canceling orders. “It’s mostly Sweden, Norway, and Denmark,” he said. “In Scandinavia the tendency is general, and it may come to include all of the chains.”

Eshel says the boycott did not exist before the Gaza offensive was launched. “It’s getting worse, and more voices can be heard calling to boycott Israeli merchandise,” he said. “Until the operation began we had excellent business, though the economic recession in Europe was causing a slight fall in the market.”

He added that winter was an especially difficult season to be unable to export fruit, because the avocado, persimmon, and citrus markets are at their height.

Eyewitness from Al Quds Hospital attack

Sharon Lock | The Independent

View from Gaza: The ambulance driver
Sharon Lock, an Australian from the International Solidarity Movement, was working as an ambulance driver for the Palestinian Red Crescent when its Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City came under Israeli attack yesterday.

One shell landed outside the building about 10 yards from the incubators for new babies. We were putting fires out with buckets of water. The shrapnel seems to burn for a long time and it starts fires if it is not put out. We were just dealing with that when we heard shooting from the front steps of the hospital and my colleague Mohammed came to me covered with blood. ‘Israelis are shooting at people who are leaving their houses,’ he said. What happened was that a father and mother and two daughters had left their home, one of the daughters had gone missing and the other was shot. The bullet went through one cheek and out the other. As the father was coming up the steps he fell, shot as well. They didn’t know where the other daughter was. Mohammed and I decided to go out and find her. We found her hiding in a house. I would say she was about nine. She was very frightened.

Patients and refugees evacuated as Al-Quds hospital burns

1am, 16th January 2009, Gaza City

Al-Quds hospital has been evacuated after the central building of the hospital was set ablaze. Patients and those seeking refuge in the hospital have been transferred to Al-Shifa hospital.

Al-Quds hospital has been surrounded by Israeli forces since 1:30am, 15th January. The fire is spreading too fast to be dealt with and the surrounding Israeli forces would not allow fire services access so as to combat the blaze.

Australian Human Rights Activist Sharon Lock was at al-Shifa hospital as the last evacuees were brought in;

The hospital is unbelievably crowded. After around 600 people had gone to Al-Quds hospital, they then had to leave again. They thought they had found somewhere safe, but nowhere is safe here.

Spanish Human Rights Activist Alberto Arce is also at Al-Shifa hospital,

It is chaos here. There are so many people. One doctor is having to operate on four people at the same time. People are being treated out in the corridors. People are outside and cannot get in.

Al-Quds hospital has been repeatedly shelled by the Israeli military. The storage facility has been ablaze throughout the day.

Families seeking refuge within the Al-Quds hospital were earlier fired upon by Israeli snipers. A nine year old girl is in critical condition in al-Shifa hospital after being shot in the face and abdomen. her father was also shot in the leg as they attempted to make it to the hospital.