TEL AVIV – Israel is taking measures to prevent an internal EU document that pins the blame for Palestinian terror on the “occupation” from being part of EU discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Jerusalem Post, citing the EUobserver, said that the 39-page document states that the recent wave of vehicular, stabbing, and shooting attacks is “due, in large part, to Israel’s occupation.” The document also said that the violence “began after right-wing Israeli politicians and religious groups began to question the status quo on Arab rights at the Temple Mount complex in the Old City.”
The document also pointed to the loss of hope in a two-state solution and poor living conditions as being the “psychological root” for the terrorism.
This puts it at odds with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proclamation that Palestinian terror is the same as the terror striking all over the world: It is being committed in the name of Islam.
According to an unnamed European diplomat who spoke to the Post, Netanyahu’s theory is not popular in Europe, with most people viewing the “occupation” as the reason behind terror against Israelis.
While the document in question will not be published, it will serve as a “reference document” for future meetings of EU foreign ministers.
The paper, according to the EUobserver, blamed the occupation for “higher levels of drug abuse, division and displacement of families, domestic violence, loss of cultural identity, and high levels of stress and depression.”
It also said Israel’s response to the attacks – which include demolishing the homes of terrorists’ families – has only worsened the situation. The document blamed “both sides” for “inflammatory rhetoric.”
The EU paper also accuses Israel of manipulating archaeological digs to downplay Palestinian historical links to Jerusalem.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said that since the document is only an internal draft, Israel would not pursue it. The country, would however, respond if it were formally presented to the EU after its recess in September.
Regarding the EU recess, Nahshon said, “I wish the consuls a good vacation, and hope that they will not come up against manifestations of extreme Islamist violence during their vacations in Europe.”