“The European Union decision is hypocritical and constitutes a double standard; it singles out Israel and not the 200 other conflicts around the world”, Netanyahu responded from Washington. “Europe should be ashamed of itself”, Netanyahu said.
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Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Syria’s Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and began settling the areas shortly afterward.
Palestinian Authority Health Minister Dr. Jawad Awaad accused Israel of “terrorism”, saying “the execution of Abdallah Shaldallah by undercover agents inside the hospital proves that Israel does not respect global conventions and worldwide humanitarian treaties”.
– In 1972 there were just over 10,000 Israeli settlers, with 1,500 living in the West Bank and the rest in east Jerusalem.
A well-known author and evangelical Christian says Israel has to contend with a Palestinian leader who incites his people to violence against the Jewish people – and a US president whose ideology apparently blinds him to that reality.
“This land is ours, we were born here, we lived here, our fathers and grandfathers lived here, we build our present and future and cherish our history and cultural heritage of thousands of years on this holy land”, Abbas said. “We don’t need public diplomacy and we definitely shouldn’t yell at them that they are anti-Semitic”, the former foreign minister said on her Facebook page.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) praised the measure, though considering it “insufficient”.
In the statement, the Israeli foreign ministry called the EU’s decision “exceptional” and “discriminatory”.
“The global community must intervene to protect our people from the Israeli killing machine”, he said. Relations with the European Union in particular have deteriorated due to disputes over the settlements. But as ThinkProgress, the think tank’s journalistic arm, pointed out, after the last round of negotiations failed in 2014, the State Department official who spearheaded the talks said that Israel’s settlement expansion has a “dramatically damaging impact” on the prospects for peace.
Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said the move “discriminates against Israel and encourages terror”.
Because settlement goods account for a small proportion of Israel’s exports to the European Union, the fallout is seen in Israel as more of a diplomatic blow than an economic one. But the move is highly symbolic. But the move exacerbated already simmering tensions between Israel and Europe as Israeli politicians condemned it as an echo of the Holocaust-era branding of European Jews and their storefronts with yellow stars. Officials avoided such language Wednesday, but the reactions were swift and angry nonetheless.
Israel has reacted furiously to the move, calling it “discriminatory” and summoning the European Union envoy. The bill was first passed in the EU Parliament on September 10. It could also say, “product from Gaza (Palestinian product) or (product from Palestine)”. We always said it has to be negotiated in line with [UN Security Council resolutions] 242 and 338. It’s strong enough to weather this, but it’s the Palestinian workers in Israeli enterprises in Judea and Samaria that will be hurt.
Israel accuses Palestinian leaders of inciting the violence.
The commandos wanted to question Azzam – who required surgery after earlier being shot by Israeli security forces – and his cousin tried to prevent them from doing so when the Israelis opened fire.
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While there is no EU official wording, goods must carry the word “settlement” on the label when sold in European shops.
