EU warns Israel against imposing 'collective punishment' in Gaza
By Ian Black, The Guardian
The EU criticised Israel's "disproportionate" use of force against Palestinians yesterday and called on it to end the illegal settlement of the occupied territories.
Sweden, the current holder of the EU presidency, used a meeting in Brussels of the EU-Israel association council, which deals with trade and economic cooperation, to couple its "deep concern" about current violence with hard-hitting complaints about the policies of the prime minister, Ariel Sharon.
"The EU has always recognised Israel's legitimate security concerns, but these must be addressed with full respect for human rights and within the framework of the rule of law," it said in a statement read to the meeting.
Israeli officials complained that the statement should not have been made public but hit back with strong criticism of the EU external relations commissioner, Chris Patten.
Mr Patten's speech to the European parliament last week, highlighting the settlements issue, had been "disproportionate and unbalanced," the deputy director-general of the Israeli foreign ministry, Ehud Gol, said.
EU governments remain divided about the best way to influence events in the Middle East, but yesterday's statement urged Israel to to end the "extra-judicial killing" of Palestinians and told it bluntly to stop withholding revenue owed to Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority and to reopen the borders of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
No progress was made on the issue of Israel illegally exporting goods made by settlers in the occupied territories, but the two sides agreed to hold detailed talks at the end of the month.
The EU is Israel's biggest trade partner, taking nearly a third of Israeli exports.
The "rules of origin" question is in the hands of member states, which can require importers to pay duty avoided when goods are illegally labelled Made in Israel. This may have already reduced imports of goods made by settlers but the economic damage to Israel is likely be more symbolic than real.
As the violence has grown in recent weeks, some EU members have argued that Israel's "association" status, agreed in 1995, should be suspended.
But the majority maintained that this would be counterproductive and weaken the EU's attempts to play a constructive role in the region. The EU is trying to strengthen its diplomatic hand in the region, and its foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, is currently holding talks there.
Mr Solana was the EU representative on the Mitchell commission, and the EU urged Israel and the Palestinians to accept its recommendations.
The EU statement said: "The Union appeals to the parties to make full use of all the practical and realistic proposals made, and urges the parties to bring them to the negotiating table, which is the only place where peace can be reached."
