Secret EU paper aims to tackle Israel's treatment of Arab minority
Paper states EU should consider Israel's treatment of its Arab population a 'core issue', and not second tier to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
By Barak Ravid Tags: Jews and ArabsThe European Union should consider Israel's treatment of its Arab population a "core issue, not second tier to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," according to a classified working paper produced by European embassies in Israel, parts of which were obtained by Haaretz.
This is an unprecedented document in that it deals with internal Israeli issues. According to European diplomats and senior Foreign Ministry officials, it was written and sent to EU headquarters in Brussels behind the back of the Israeli government.
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Israeli Arabs next to Israeli Jews holding national flags, Jerusalem, May 15, 2010 |
| Photo by: Reuters |
Other issues the document deals with include the lack of progress in the peace process, the continued occupation of the territories, Israel's definition of itself as Jewish and democratic, and the influence of the Israeli Arab population.
The original document also included suggestions for action the EU should take, but these were removed from the final version at the insistence of several countries.
Among these were the suggestion that the EU file an official protest every time a bill discriminating against Arabs passes a second reading in the Knesset, and that the EU ensure that all Arab towns have completed urban plans, "with each member state potentially 'adopting' a municipality to this end."
The contents of the 27-page report were kept under wraps, and a number of European diplomats contacted by Haaretz over the past two weeks refused to disclose any details. Foreign Ministry officials said they had heard about it unofficially from some European diplomats a few weeks ago, but to date no Israeli official has been able to obtain a copy.
According to a European diplomat involved in drafting the report, work on it began more than a year ago at Britain's initiative. The idea was to write a report that could be debated by a forum of EU foreign ministers. At some point, however, several countries, among them the Czech Republic, Poland and the Netherlands, expressed objections to its contents.
After lengthy debates on the issue in an effort to obtain the consensus necessary to send the report to Brussels, it was decided to water it down somewhat and drop the operative conclusions. It was also designated a "food for thought" document, rather than a "report."
The embassies declared in the document that the breakdown in the peace process was having a negative impact on the integration of Israeli Arabs into society.
"The stalemate in the peace process, and the continuing occupation, inevitably has an impact on the identification of Israeli Arabs with Israel," the document states. "It will be more difficult for Israeli Arabs to be wholly at ease with their identity while the conflict with the Palestinians continues."
At the same time, the embassies said this should not be used as an excuse for "hostile behavior by Israeli Arabs which alienates the Jewish majority, or for failure by Israeli government to achieve genuinely equal treatment of Israeli Arabs."
The document suggests that the EU discuss Jewish-Arab relations with the Israeli government, while stressing the government's obligation to bridge the gaps between the Jewish majority and Arab minority.
"We should emphasize that addressing inequality within Israel is integral to Israel's long-term stability," the document says.
The document also relates to the demand made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
"We do not believe that recognition of Israel as a Jewish State should detract in any way from the vision of equality for all its citizens enshrined in its founding documents," the report says.
"It is in the interests of all Israelis to demonstrate that Israel is not only Jewish and democratic, but tolerant and inclusive, and that these are patriotic values. We believe in common with most Israelis that Israeli nationality is an inclusive concept which can accommodate equally those of other faiths and ethnic origins."
Other operative suggestions that were dropped from the final document included supporting projects promoting coexistence in schools, and encouraging European companies setting up high-tech operations in Israel to invest in Arab areas.
In response to Haaretz's report, the EU said on Friday that "a core task of any diplomatic mission is to report back to its headquarters on developments in the host country. In this regard, as part of the EU foreign policy process, the embassies of the EU Member States and the EU Delegation cooperate closely."
"This report was prepared to stimulate thinking at the EU level on how the EU might engage constructively with governmental and non-governmental interlocutors in Israel with respect to an issue that has been identified in the EU –Israel Action Plan as a shared value, namely to 'promote and protect rights of minorities, including enhancing political, economic, social and cultural opportunities for all citizens and lawful residents,'" the EU press office added.
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Europe would like nothing more then to make believe the Jews were even 10 percent of the monsters that the Europeans were I still long and hope those Europeans will get what they deserve one day
Where is the EU report on the way Jews & Christians are treated in Saudi Arabia? The discriminatory laws in israel are there as a protection against enemies of Israel taking advantage of the democracy there to overthrow the State. The same way as Europe is being overthrown by the abuse of democracy by a certain (unmentionable on pain of death) fundamentalist group.
Arab or palestinian or ??? Article 1. Palestine is an Arab homeland bound by strong Arab national ties to the rest of the Arab Countries and which together form the great Arab homeland. Article 2: Palestine, with its boundaries at the time of the British Mandate, is a indivisible territorial unit. Article 3: The Palestinian Arab people has the legitimate right to its homeland and isan inseparable part of the Arab Nation. It shares the sufferings and aspirations of the Arab Nation and its struggle for freedom, sovereignty, progress and unity. Article 4: The people of Palestine determine its destiny when it completes the liberation of its homeland in accordance with its own wishes and free will and choice. Article 5: The Palestinian personality is a permanent and genuine characteristic that does not disappear. It is transferred from fathers to sons. Article 6: The Palestinians are those Arab citizens who were living normally in Palestine up to 1947, whether they remained or were expelled. Every child who was born to a Palestinian Arab father after this date, whether in Palestine or outside, is a Palestinian.
among their own faith, and the EU expects them to accomodate equality with those that Jewish religious leaders call donkeys and slaves?
But the modern State of Israel was never set up as a Jewish state but a secular state with a fob to the religious known as the "status qua".
Israel has every right to demand a transfer of its disloyal Arab citizens.
Any Israeli who wants peace and believes that giving Abu Mazzen what he wants, has his head so far stuck in the ground that a bulldozer would not be able to dig him out. The real conflict is the very presence of Independent Jews. The anti-semites are not ready to unshackle the chains of the 2000 year pursuit of Jews. The day after any deal is reached with Palestinians in the West Bank is the day the day the Israeli Arab conflict explodes and we see from this article that the Europeans are neck high involved and are the scum of the earth.
They can't go on the record and say that but in private they don't recognize it as such ( not even Germany ) and so they want to dream up all kinds of plans to erode the idea of a Jewish state from within because they do not want it to be a Jewish state because that doesn't fit in with their nice all inclusive liberal EU way of thinking Israel is not a member of the EU and so the EU has no business messing in Israeli internal issues, they have screwed up enough in their own part of the world with new politically correct and standerdized legislation replacing perfectly good domestic legislation and creating a mess. This is the Middle East not Europe and cultures in both Israel and the region itself are very different to Europe. Yes Israel has its problems but its for Israel to muddle through and solve its problems in its own way not in the way the British, French, Germans or any other foreign government wants. You can't just try and apply EU culture to Israel because you think its a better way of doing things.
i am sure israel government know the eurpian and heir attitude toward israel and if they do not mind heir own business then we must finger their ........
.. when reading diplomatic posts/opinions, never forget to read in between the lines.
Europeans and many Israeli Arabs have one of many things in common; nothing will make them happier then the de-legitimization of Israel or better the disappearance of the state of Israel. As Ms. Rise the American ambassador to the infamous UN says, and I quote "Israel's treatment at the UN 'obsessive' and 'ugly,' U.S. diplomat say" Last, I checked the Europeans are in the UN
Viewing this as an American, I am very glad to see that our European cousins are looking to take this issue in hand. It's about time someone does something about Israel's mistreatment of people whose territories it has illegally occupied. And if force is needed, so be it. I am only ashamed that my government is so enslaved to the AIPAC and embarrassed that it does nothing. Anyway, I can openly support the Europeans and not support my government's negligence!
to this day, europe is profoundly antisemitic and racist. europe, which killed six million innocent jews, including one and a half million children, has become enslaved by arab totalitarians. europe's collapse is a just punishment for its many crimes against humanity.
Netanyahu when do you plan to stand up for your people?
Perhaps the EU should attempt to regulate against the prevalent discrimination of Arabs (and for that matter, all Muslims) in Europe--before they attempt to micro-manage urban plans for Arab villages.
Israel's treatment of minority Arabs is abysmal. Israel cannot fool the world anymore.
They stink. They cannot even control the mohameddans in their own countries and they are criticising Israel for the events that both the Arabs and the Israelites act out in Israel. What hypocrites! Almost as bad as Labhras who cannot get the English our of Ireland so he complains about the Israeli/Arab happening in Israel. First, take the boulder out of your own eye; then, you will be able to see clearly to remove the speck from your neighbor's eye.
While I realize that there are pockets of Israelis who sympathize and aid the Palestinians in their struggle for freedom there needs to be more of them and in order to do that you need to hurt people financially. Its a shame that it must be that way but they are perfectly happy remaining silent if it doesnt happen and the big mouths are the right wing nut jobs who do want the occupation and land theft to continue.
Israel is the most democratic not only in the Middle East, but from all other countries under such aggression from within and outside it's borders. The Arab fanaticism has grown on some minorities of Israelis. No muslim countries, and other, allows self criticism the way Israelis do. Of course it could be improved but not ripe for apologies.
Sounds like Israel needs to straighten some of those little pipsqueaks out!
sift kick in the backside for its conduct!
Sounds like Israel needs to get a sense of proportion.
when arabs complain about human rights they say they are terrorists to europeans protect us from these antisemites when israelis are spying on what europe is saying that is not internal european affairs when israel government make passports passports
where you come from?
So mind your own business and we will mind ours,OK?BTW,how's Turkish occupation of Cyprus going,Hello?Are Europeans still forbidden to criticize multiculturalism and Islam?Are their women still raped and men killed for being white?You see? I told you to mind your own business...
But I don't see any great moralistic movement against anyone that is not Jewish.
Small step, but the first few usually are.
I think that the EU should start by taking concern with their own minority issues. Whether you agree on there approaches on dealing with their own muslim populations, the EU are experiencing their own various issues. Maybe EU should also be focusing their attention to the Christians in Egypt and other minorities in muslim countries around the world.
despite much posturing, europe's sole concern is oil. the arab league and the oic are blackmailing europe for oil and contracts. europe will pay the price when its muslim minorities, which are much despised, will be confronted by the far right fascists. muslims mostly do not want to integrate, and europeans for the most part do not want to accept them.
do not worry too much with those people know only eating and repdosucing (10 8 kids) europ will be moslim country and then what happened yu hope you are not alive to see if you want a bitter taste look at any of of them no dirver no this no that only reproduce
We need more leadership from the EU rather than persisting with the US sponsered charade of 'peace talks'.
until the next U.S. president takes office. If Newt wins I wonder how they will feel about him ? Even an oriental dog catcher would be better than Obama !
but it is not because it is not.
If it was morally correct and desirable for outsiders to interfere and meddle with the USSR's treatment of Jews, why shouldn't the EU look at Israel's treatments of Moslems?
Why should the EU look inot anybody's business when they cannot manage their own?i
As one of those "USSR Jews" you are presumably referring to above: the international interference in that situation was limited to making it possible for those of us who were willing to uproot and leave everything and everyone we knew behind - FOREVER - to do so. Is this the point of interference in this case?.
Another such document detailing the rights of Jews in a future balestinian state (if it ever will be), should be in preparation now. Let us be fair to both sides
I'm amused that the first criticism made is that it was sent "behind the back of the Israeli Government." Does the Israeli Government or the readers of Haaretz expect to be shown every communication from an embassy to its capitol?
hypocrites heard of Israeli Arabs fifth column living at the expense of the state they hate and work against
The EU has done nothing to help the Palestinians, why should it do something to help Israel's despised Arab minority? The suggestion that the EU would oppose Israel on anything is clearly insane given it's long track record of submission to everything Israel demands of it.
Europe- soon to join the dodo and other extinctions.
Europe is one of the garants of Israel. Disregarding us would be a major mistake.
Israel has some serious issues when it comes to equality in its society and government. However, these are Israel's issues, not the EU's. Just as Israel had no right to say anything about the tens of thousands of Romas who were deported from western european countries, so does Europe have no right to comment on, let alone influence the social issues in Israel.
Israel's issues with its minorities ARE also EU's problems, the policy Israeli government follows is creating international tensions and thus making the case internatonal. btw was Apartheid SA:s internal issue?
The idea of a Jewish only State in Palestine is phoney. It is an illusion in a Jewish Zionist mind. Even if all Palestinians were to be thrown out of that land, they will still be fighting as long as it takes to come back to their homes. These are not American Red Indians you know. Besides, Jerusalem is partially the Capital of Muslims and it is the Capital of Palestine and real Jews.
I wonder if Europe also discussed treatment of Roma in this document as well
What YOU believe has no bearing on what this fascist government believes. While your endeavors are admirable - without the EU baring its teeth, its all for naught...
The Israel High Court has already ruled that such a thing does not exist. There is only an "Israeli citizenship", and that is divorced from the concept of "nationality", which must always be "Jewish", or "Arab", etc. etc.
arabs do not consider themselves as part of the "israeli nationality." arabs consider themselves as part of the umma.