Wednesday, August 8, 2012

EU-Israel: One hand whitewashes the other


The European Union is being duplicitous by condemning Israel's human rights abuses while increasing trade links.

By Ben White
Al-Jazeera

"Cambridge, UK - How Israel can breach international law, commit systematic human rights abuses and colonise Palestine with impunity is typically blamed on the role of the US, for which there is plenty of supporting evidence: from the UN Security Council veto to significant financial and military support.

But the strength and high-profile of the US-Israel relationship has meant that the role of other parties in shielding Israel's apartheid regime has not been subjected to the critical scrutiny it deserves, particularly the case with the European Union.

While those on the hard right portray the EU as representing a continent of anti-Semitic Israel-bashers on the path to "Eurabia", the reality is that the EU is one of Israel's most important allies - whose policies are playing a crucial role in frustrating the Palestinian struggle for justice....."

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