Berlusconi to Haaretz: Israel's settlement policy is unwise
Italian PM, 8 Italian cabinet ministers to arrive in Israel Monday for 3-day visit, special Knesset session.
By Haaretz Staff Tags: Israel settlements Israel newsItalian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi arrives in Israel Monday for a three-day visit. In the course of the visit, Berlusconi will visit Yad Vashem, plant a tree in Jerusalem's Grove of Nations and speak at a special session at the Knesset, where seven original sketches from Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus will also be put on display.
Berlusconi will be accompanied on his trip by eight Italian cabinet ministers who will for the first time participate in a joint cabinet meeting. The meeting will also highlight bilateral cooperation in the fields of science, technology and culture. A special conference will be held bringing together leaders of Italian business, industry and science and their Israeli counterparts. Three laboratories that were funded by the Italians will be dedicated in the course of the visit.
Haaretz asked the Italian prime minister to relate to several current issues pertaining to ties between the two countries. His responses were as follows:
On his exceptional friendship with Israel:
"For my entire life, first as an entrepreneur and later as prime minister, I have had a love of freedom. The Jewish people, with courage and persistence, created a paragon of democracy in the Middle East. Israel is part of Europe. It belongs to the West. It believes in the values of democracy in which we, too, believe. As a result, I always supported Israel. As a result, as prime minister, I changed Italy's foreign policy and thereby turned Italy into Israel's closest friend in Europe ... I would like to add that the visit I made to Auschwitz [in January 2005] made a deep impression on me. I told myself there that it was impossible not to be Israeli.
"At the same time, I cultivated ties with the moderate leaders of the Arab and Muslim world. Italy today is an essential stop, sometimes the first, that Middle Eastern leaders make in Europe. We feel involved in efforts to find a lasting and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question. Italy proposed the beautiful town of Erice as a location for future peace talks between the [two] sides."
On the Middle East peace process:
"Henry Kissinger used to say that there could never be war in the Middle East without Egypt, but no peace was possible without Syria. By virtue of the courage of statesmen like [Egyptian President Anwar] Sadat and [Israeli Prime Minister Menachem] Begin, Egypt definitively disengaged from this equation and President [Hosni] Mubarak has decisively continued on this path. The time has come for Syria and Israel to act together for the sake of peace, in the framework of which the Golan Heights will be returned and at the same time diplomatic and friendly relations will be established between the two countries, and Damascus for its part will stop supporting organizations that do not recognize Israel's existence. All of us are working to find a comprehensive solution, and Italy's presence in Lebanon [as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force] is testimony to this."
On Israel's settlement policy in the West Bank and relations with the Palestinians:
"Israel's settlement policy could be an obstacle to peace. I would like to say to the people and government of Israel, as a friend, with my hand on my heart, that persisting with this policy is a mistake. I welcomed Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's courage in his announcement of a 10-month [residential settlement construction] freeze. It will never be possible to convince the Palestinians of Israel's good intentions while Israel continues to build in territories that are to be returned as part of a peace agreement. At the same time, what happened in Gaza should prompt some thought. It is not possible to evacuate communities to [then] face burned synagogues, acts of destruction, and inter-Palestinian violence and missiles being shot into Israeli territory.
"The Arabs live in Israel and participate in its wonderful democratic life, and the war will really end when the Palestinians restore the magnificent Arab tradition of tolerance and hospitality with respect to Jews in their midst. In addition, today one must go beyond this tolerance and establish full coexistence and cooperation, with total religious, civil and cultural freedom. Condemning the settlements using the same arguments used to condemn Islamic extremism is too simple, hypocritical and does not respect the leaders of Western democracies. I don't agree with that.
"I always tell those with who I am speaking, to leaders of countries that accuse Israel of adopting an aggressive settlement policy, that peace also depends upon the extent of unity that the Palestinian world manages to establish internally. The confrontations between various [Palestinian] factions weakens the power of their leaders to negotiate and creates confusion. Only reconciliation among the Palestinians can provide confidence in the resumption of a genuine process of negotiations with Israel.
"The initiative that I took to have Hamas included on the European Union's terrorism list was necessary. But it wasn't easy. It was and will not be possible to conduct contacts with those who refuse [to agree] to the principles of the [Middle East] Quartet [the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia], that is, the end to violence, respect for previous agreements and the unequivocal and absolute recognition of Israel. Israel's existence and identity must be closely guarded. Of course, Israel?s right to peace is reflected in the right of the Palestinians to establish an independent state."
On his initiative for a regional 'Marshall Plan'
"Without peace there is no prosperity, but the expectation of prosperity can also constitute a force for establishing a peace that may appear inconceivable. It is clear that a Marshall Plan can only be carried out after a settlement of the conflict, but the very fact of expectations of an improvement in the Palestinian economy, with its far-reaching implications for Israel and Jordan, could in and of itself be a factor encouraging a resumption of the dialogue. I am considering a practical possibility of encouraging religious tourism in the territories, the building of an attractive infrastructure of [hotel] accommodations, and important initiatives like connecting the Read Sea and Dead Sea. The high unemployment rate among the Palestinians, without a doubt, hands an advantage to those forces that are exploiting poverty and despair to recruit radicals into their ranks.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu, like his predecessors, has expressed support for a Marshall Plan and the concept of an economic peace. In every bilateral or international gathering, support has been expressed to me over this idea. I have already been working toward it for over ten years, and I hope I can bring this dream to fruition.
"Let's admit the truth. The West Bank is already recovering economically. The option of improving the situation, which is the basis for the concept of economic peace or a Marshall Plan, is already being implemented practically speaking by the Palestinian population. A state or national entity is not built through declarations and violence, but rather by constantly striving for the common good of the people. The Palestinian leadership is being called upon for this mission, which is at the true core of the future autonomy and national unity that will be established in the context of coexistence with neighbors, with Israel - with a secure Israel, above all."
About Italy and international terrorism:
"I agree with the words of [former British prime minister and Quartet representative] Tony Blair, as expressed in an interview with Haaretz (Jan. 8). There is indeed a single international terrorist front. Precisely for that reason there must be a single front among countries which feel revulsion over terrorism and fight against it. Italy is doing its part. We immediately responded to [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama's call to reinforce our forces in Afghanistan with 1,000 additional soldiers in 2010. We announced our readiness to install body scanners at airports. The battle against terrorism is being decided in areas of confrontation and at the level of intelligence services. But our soldiers, who are acting on behalf of peace in many areas of the world, are primarily known for their ability to establish good relations with the local populations. One must deprive Al-Qaida of the ground that constitutes its base for its recruitment campaigns in the Middle East and Europe. And a close watch must be kept on those countries that are apparently close to having nuclear weapons, and which perhaps are cultivating the mad desire to wipe Israel off the face of the earth."
On his policy toward Iran and nuclear weapons:
"First of all, the entire international community must make up its mind and decide unanimously, in clear and certain terms, that as a matter of principle one cannot be reconciled with nuclear weapons in the hands of a country whose leaders have openly declared their desire to destroy Israel and deny both the Holocaust and the existence of the Jewish national home. I don't like to fool around regarding these matters and evade the problem, or get around it in a formalistic way. The tragedy of World War II and the extermination of European Jewry did not begin on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland [when the war broke out]. It begins with the surrender by democratic governments in Munich. It begins with the spirit of Munich, which promised "peace in our time" and paved the way as a practical matter for one of the greatest calamities in human history. The lesson to be drawn is that the approach that must be adopted is multilateral supervision of the stages of progress of Iran's nuclear program, the approach of smart discourse, the path of effective sanctions. Iron-clad assurances must be demanded of the Tehran government. The International Atomic Energy Agency must be significantly involved in inspection. One cannot ignore any expression of good will on the part of Iran, but in the past initiatives over negotiations were halted in misleading ways to buy time, and those who seek to present us with a fait accompli must be given strong and creatively crafted responses."
On his conduct and popularity:
"For many months, I have been a victim of a media campaign, that was apparently the most aggressive and slanderous ever conducted against a head of state. I have absorbed political, media and legal attacks, attacks on [my] wealth, and also on me physically. But the Italians, who have common sense, have again expressed their support for me, support that has risen to 68 percent, an embarrassing rate for a leader of a Western democratic country. In their view, what is important are the practical results of my activities in government, which were many and important. I wouldn't have changed anything of what I have managed to do. In practice, I am the prime minister who has served the longest in the history of the Italian republic, and as a result, I have helped to carry out many reforms from the field of education to the economy, from the public service to infrastructure, and the prestige of Italy in the international arena has risen as a result of our many contributions to solving many complex issues. My problem is not taking stock of the past, which is positive on the whole despite many possible mistakes. The problem is fulfilling a dream for the future, which at its center involves a less intrusive state, a more autonomous, responsible, free citizen. We must reduce the fiscal pressures to bring taxation of income to an acceptable level, which will make the creation of new relations of friendship and trust possible between the citizen and the state. That is the last part of my mission as an Italian, a European, an entrepreneur and a member of the government."
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Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. |
| Photo by: (AP) |
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The man has managed to pull off another trick: convince the israelis he's a great supporter of their cause. Beware:as # 56 says he doesn't know anything about foreign policy, Israel is only expedient for him, he'll kiss you on the mouth if it serves his needs, only to dump you when the wind turns. And anyway in Europe or Usa he doesn't count, he's a joke and he's turning our country into a gigantic joke too. Well, shake his hand, smile if you have to, but don't for a moment think you've got yourselves a friend. There are millions of true friends of Israel in Italy, literally, you don't need a false one.
Berlusconi is a great man and politician.
A pure farce. Berlusconi says right things (about the settlements) that will enhance his reputation as a statesman. At the same time he perfectly knows that his words will fall in the vacuum: no israeli PM in history (from left to right) has ever even thought of stopping outposts and settlements!
I think that nobody knows how much Berlusconi is closed to Israel and to the jewish people. The best friend of Israel in Europe and not only in Europe.
It is time to seek peace, not another country's land. If Israel persists, world opinion will loose faith in Israel's integrity completely.
so much for a friend of Israel.
As a Italian of Jewish descent, I beg my dear Jewish brothers to listen to PM Berlusconi, who reflects the feelings of the vast majority of the Italian people. Italians are the best and closest friends that Israel has in Europe and maybe in the world. I feel that in the long run Israel will harm itself by continuing to enforce its occupation policies of the West Bank. What I most have at heart is the well-being of the Jewish people and the of State of Israel. But one thing must be perfectly clear to all: Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and will never be divided again for no whatsoever reason.
Obviously Berlusconi meant that the state of Israel is a developed democracy like Europe, self-evident
man, you're the quintessence of a Belusconi supporter. Self-righteous, ill-informed and misled in believing others are willing to eat your superficial considerations. "ISRAEL in Europe" is Berlusconi's populism in display. he doesn't know foreign politics, he doesn't care about foreign policy. he visits Israel 'cause that's part of what a US lackey's PM is supposed to do. not knowing a thing of Israel's demography issues he drops the bomb "Israel in Europe", convinced to please his audience, but comes out short: sounds stupid. but you know alex, he doesn't care. you don't care.. oh yes.. most Europeans DO NOT agree with Ahmadinejad. let's say 95% of them. and what's the point of posting such a shameless lie on an Israeli newspaper's forum? win them over?
For the first time of my life, I'm not ashamed for our First Minister's words and deeds. He's the first chief of an Italian government to rally in support of Israel, urging our forein policy to a radical change from the past. Up to date, that's possibly the only single good thing he's done. But I think, once in a lifetime, he's right. For the sake of Israel, our beloved Israel. We need to keep on beeing proud of YOU!!!!
This is not a question of being strong and then one shall prevail. It is that this dream of his and so many others like him was wrong, wrong, WRONG!
Berlusconi,like other europian politycians, knows not very well the history of middle east . For that his statement is not appropriate.But he is a good friend of Israel.His statement about democracy is right.Notwithstanding some italian morons think otherwise, the italian premier is not a fascist because the majority of italian people choose him as premier.
Berlusconi is a fantastic lier, Israelis would do well not to be enchanted by him. The man can shift his position in half an hour if it suits his political agenda. He does that all the time here, we know him inside out. And besides, his problems are not of a delicate, private nature: he has very concrete problems with the justice for very heavy allegations of financial corruptions and call girls frequentations. His supporters like him because he s rich and famous but they dont have any idea of what a just and healthy political system should be, let alone international relations
hE MAKES VALID POINTS: iSRAEL HAS wESTERN wORLD VALUES AND IDEALS AND moves within that same mind set. Note well he says that it would be foolish to expect Israel to remove Jeqws as was done in Gaza Jews only to get murder and bombs - it was a diplomatic caution to Arabs to rethink their mind set. Funny Dino finds Berlosconi dumb, considering the man 'stupidly' amassed one of the greatest world financial empires employing 1000s and enormous personal wealth. Just dumb luck, huh, Deeno.
Berlusconi must have missed many lessons on GEOGRAPHY, he can still get some tuitions, if he can make some time.
Settlers must go back to their country, IF NOT be a Palestinian Jew under the Palestinians Authority.
Labhas makes a point- and we should look to island ofIreland for a good example of a Bi-National state: Ireland and Northern Ireland. As Norther Ireland is part of UK so Pals can be with Jordan.
Even your great friend young Bush probably understands that. The people who resettled Israel in the first half of last century mostly settled near the coast, unlike the situation in ancient Israel, that's why so many Jewish holy sites are on Palestinian land. Something very similar happened to Serbia in Kosovo, between higher Muslim birth rates and Serbs moving to more developed areas of Serbia. Religious Jews mostly stayed in Europe while more secular minded Jews led the resettlement. Now many of the religious want to drag Israel into unending war to maintain it's universally non-recognized sovereignty over the West Bank and its ancient Jewish religious sites. Religious Jews didn't do enough immigrating to Ottoman/British Mandate Palestine when they had the chance, now they need to back off their overreaching demands that have caused such immense tragedy for the Palestinians, and no little tragedy for Israel and others as well, and have led to such an uncertain future for the region.
prescribed in Int'l Law . Barak' 10 month settlement freeze saw no arab states gestures towards normalisation .
is an italoamerican i can say his friendship is as good is a enemy! kiss you in the cheeck and stab you in the back Please keep him is your friend Israel!
Is Italy starving it,s neighbours. Is Italy stealing their neighbours land every day for the last 60 years. Of course Israel is not making comments about Italy. What does the vatican have to do with the subject at hand. The vatican is a seperate entity. And Italy has not illegally annexed it. What,s to comment on victor. Having noticed how your posts start I expect you will begin insulting me quite soon. Come along victor can you respond with one more post explaining why it is ok for Italians to meddle in Israeli politics as long as they only support Israel. A very childish frame of thought. Don,t you think.
Virtu, when Berlusconi say "Europe" it means the European and Western values, not the geographical meaning...
Berlusconi, like most italians believe that Israel in term of culture, business, democracy is closest to Europe, try to find a similar situation in the middle-east?
What a quaint blast from the past. The real Mussolini was a big advocate of Zionism and extended civil rights to Italy's Jews during the 1920s. He even had a Jewish girlfriend.
what happens is politicians comment about italy and the vatican ?? look it up ethan
Berlusconi isn't a friend of Israel! Silvio Berlusconi has carried two Holocaust Negationists (Roberto Fiore and Luca Romagnoli) to the European Parliament, while he has formed an alliance with the neo-nazi (and negationist) Party "Northern League" and with the anti-semitic movements "Forza Nuova", "La Destra" and "Alleanza Nazionale".
Justice and fairness for both sides are required to achieve peace. this time Berlusconi is right.
Israel, even if offered EU membership, will decline, because they would never accept EU regulations. Right of residency, for example.
Hopefully someone's listening? - No, not to the nonsense about Israel belonging to the west, but, at long last, about the questionable wisdom of the settlement enterprise in the West Bank?
never will be. In any case if Israel refuses to make peace---and it will--there will be a Bi National State and it will be of no consequence. The new State will also not be part of Europe and the Jewish citizens of that state will not want to come to Europe as it will be controlled by Islamist. Or so we are being told ad infinitum.
Where to meet Netanyahu Berlusconi? I propose on the beach of TeL Aviv:)
I bet if he was supporting Israel he would not be meddling or deserting his more important role.
Some friends here did not understand the reason Berlusconi talked of Israel in Europe. Several times the PM has declared that the European Union should "open" the borders to Israel. He clashed with people like Chirac and Schroeder on this issue in the past.. because of their anti-Israeli policies. Berlusconi belives Israel and the Israeli people are much closer to Europe and the West than to the Middle Easterns. And this is a fact. Israel is "de facto" the only Democracy in that area. If Israel will be in the EU, crazy people like Ahmadinejad will think not once.. but 100 times before to attack Israel. But the problem of Europe it is that many Europeans secretly agree with Ahmadinejad.. I have no problems with having Israel in the EU, the opposite.. and i am Catholic and not Jewish.. but Israeli people are just like we Europeans are. That's what Europe has to understand instead to run behind the Muslims because they are scared to be striked..
My dear Dino, your analysis is absolutely wrong (and sorry to say) disrespectful to the Italian people who in large majority voted for Berlusconi and his agenda for 3 times.. The Left in Italy has always been a noisy minority and the 2 times they had the chance to go at the Government they have showed their limits. The problem is that Europe is hypocritical when it comes to talk of Berlusconi, Islam or Israel. The largest majority of the European media and their so called "politically correct" policy.. hate Berlusconi because in a way he has "broken" the usual pro-arab orientation of this continent. The problem of Europe is that is scared of Islam. That's why the European media don't talk of what of good Berlusconi does for Italy as PM but what of bad according to them he represents. That's all done in bad faith. Sorry. And as an Italian let me say that i am not embarassed at all to have voted for Berlusconi for 3 times and i will continue to do as a result for what he does.
P.M. Berlusconi have a dream...Isreal inside the Europen Union. Berlusconi know the map....
Just sounds too endtime perfect. Beware Mr. Netanyahu. Cry out for discernment. This has the aroma of deception . They shall cry out Piece,Peace.
As long as there is one decent Israeli, they will be hope. Settlement must stop and ease of tension must prevail so we can have peace.
as italian i endow my esteemed neighbour arguments, dino has got his right point. 1 - "berlusca" is as fascist as netanyahu, he does anything in his power to hinder democracy in italy, as his friends in israel do. if he says that israel is a paragon of democracy, he shows he really doesn't know what this word means 2 - a prime minister with the same (unfortunately) frame of mind of bibi tells him that the settlement policy is a little bit too heavy and unwise... this should spring in israeli ministries' mind that their image has been mixed (for so long time now) with the one of apartheid establisher, straight ethnic cleansing and all the other awful deeds that the israeli public doesn't want to see (but thanx to few comments on this article there's stil hope) - it's a real shame that our money (of the italians) has been spent for cooperation with israel (the 3 laboratories who the dwarf-clown will visit) - i believe berlusca'd better visit the refugee camps, bil'in and other places....
There are serious reservations about the Policy in Judea and Samaria as it stands. However I challange you to offer a good policy. A policy that will bring peace to Israel. (Just do not start with crap like start a civil war Settlers and then all world will like you. We just did it in Gaza). So in absence of better policy the current one will do
people would start thinking when a friend tells them that their policy is wrong.
"Il Cavaliere" may be a populist but he is not as stupid as Hillary Clinton to fall in with Bibi and Lieberman on their self-destructive settlers' politics.
The Swiss television, the most popular newspapers in Switzerland (TA Media) and the swiss foreign ministry is controlled by post Stalinist leftists. The majority of Swiss citizens are decent people who hate the leftist Stalinists like Dino but more and more people believe the antisemitic propaganda and of course the Muslim fascist minority is growing in a frightening speed. Europe in dying! we had Mozart and Johann Strauss but we will soon be a part of North Africa
"Israel is part of Europe. It belongs to the West. It believes in the values of democracy in which we, too, believe." And this coming from Berlusconi?!!! Please check his record.
Israel's continued settlement policies in East Jerusalem and the West Bank severely hurt our image. It is time for Israel to realize that it cannot continue to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians from the lands under the guise of settlements. If we don't, we will only be even more alienated from the rest of the World.
....was the fact, that unfortunately the left in Italy always tends to end up in infights when in governement, instead of making good policies for the Italian people. With a well functionning left or middle, Berlusconi and his right-wing friends would have ZERO chance of ever becoming elected. And one thing is also for sure: If our great Italian friends on the other side of the border would only realize, how embarrassing Berlusconi makes their country look like around the world, they would definitely not vote for him..... ....but unfortunately (far) too many of our highly esteemed Italian neighbours haven't realized that yet.
Your contention that primitive people live in the area because they do not follow your euro-centric logic cannot old water. I thought the bible orders such punishments.... Do you remember Christ stopping the stoning of the adulterer????? Strength, power, greed and such VIRTUES...... the subject is Israel here?
I am olso and for long time convinced that Berlusconi is one of the best European statesman, and do you know what? Millions of Italians also believe so, he is ELECTED! Are you not a bit delusional taking you own little voise for VOICE OF HUMANITY?
by its friends and supporters whose "outside" perspective is far more perceptive than its own. kind of reminds one of the warnings against a bad relationship given by parents and friends to an oblivious and unbelieving young man or woman who's blinded by infatuated love...and destined for a rude awakening. it's like talking to a wall...because being robbed of reason, and lacking insight, they "know" that its right and will ignore all advice.
seeing if he can save the euro ?? why do they meddle in israel affairs ??
It does seem that Berlusconi is a true friend of Israel , and the Jewish people. He seems to be an open minded individual with a logical way of thinking. Israel should certainly appreciate the well ishes and friendly overtures of this man. However , he is very wrong in his assesments and analysis of the situation. His claim that Israel is in Europe is unfortunately inaccurate. This has also been the mistake of many Israeli leaders who come from Western type democracies and logical way of thinking. Unfortunately , Israel is situated between many primitive Middel eastern countries who do not use normal logic for direction. These are people who chop of heads and hands of other people who disagree with them .Normal Logic does not have a place in the Middle East. Strength , power , greed and such virtues govern the conduct and religion of the people in the area. Therefore, Israel would be smart to comprehend this totally different type of logic and adpt its policies accordingly. And Mr Be
....on this planet, who calls Berlusconi a "very intelligent man". :) If you would live as close to the Italian border, as I do, you would realize that he is nothing but a (political) clown.... ....but hey, even a political clown can say something wise once in a while.
Diplomatic yes and no. When will intelligent people realize that the Palestinians are not interested in making peace with a Jewish Israel.They are interested in creating another new Arab state as another stage in eventually destroying Israel. They will never sign a peace treaty with Israel but want their new state without recognizing and making peace with Israel.
#2 David makes me cringe by bringing out anti-semitism to those who criticise the settlements. It only serves to promote horrible stereotypes about the problem of having a civilised conversation with those who use "anti-semitism" as a weapon of choice. Shame on you.
and stop invading Greece already. Then we talk.
A bit far from home, ain't it?
quite up to date with the issues concerning the Middle East. He speaks very well. It's unfortunate his personal life, like that of other politicians, has not been logical.
Israel is in Europe? I thought North Africa was in Africa, and Middle East was in the Middle East. Could somebody show him a map?
The settlers are screwing up everything. I say let them settle on land in teh West Bank that they legally acquire and when a Palestinian state is established,if these settlers find themselves on the Palestinian side of the border they will be Palestinians, Palestinian Jews. They'll travel on Palestinian passports. They'll spend Palestinian money. They'll pay taxes to Palestine. They'll depend on Palestinian police for protection. They'll serve in the military of Palestine, and so on and so forth. Israel has Arabs, Palestine can have Jews. Enough of this taking of land for no compensation.