Letter by European dignitaries to EU Foreign Ministers on Israeli settlement funding European Council on Foreign Relations September 15, 2013

Following calls to postpone, modify or even suspend the new European Commission guidelines on the funding of Israeli businesses and institutions in the occupied territories, a group of European dignitaries has sent a letter to the 28 EU Foreign Ministers, urging them to fully support European institutions in implementing guidelines that exclude Israels illegal settlements from EU funding. The letter has been signed by 12 [15] prominent Europeans amongst them two former Foreign Ministers, three former Prime Ministers, one former Vice-President of the European Commission and one former EU High Representative from 9 European countries, including the UK, France, Germany and Ireland. The signatories stress that the guidelines reflect the EUs long-held position that the European Union will not recognize unilateral changes to Israels pre-1967 borders and that the EU, under its own legislation, is obligated to prevent the application of agreements with Israel to illegal settlements. The statements signatories call on the 28 Foreign Ministers to uphold their joint commitment, proclaimed in December 2012, to ensure that all agreements between Israel and the EU must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the occupied territories , also and especially in regard to the ongoing negotiations about Israels participation in Horizon 2020, the EUs research funding programme. Also, the signatories argue that a delay or suspension of the guidelines would undermine peace negotiations, which they want to see succeed. The letter is posted below and was sent in the context of the European Eminent Persons Group (EEPG), composed of former Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ministers and senior officials of EU Member States, who have decided to concert their efforts to encourage a lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dear Foreign Minister, With great concern we have taken note of recent calls to delay, modify or even suspend the European Commission guidelines on funding of Israeli entities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967, developed in furtherance of the clear EU Foreign Affairs Council position adopted on 10 December 2012: The European Union expresses its commitment to ensure that in line with international law all agreements between the State of Israel and the European Union must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967. We urge you to uphold this commitment by supporting the guidelines and their full application by EU institutions, notably in regard to the on-going negotiations about Israels participation in Horizon 2020. In recent weeks, Israel has expressed strong objections to the guidelines. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has said: We will not accept any external dictates regarding our borders. This both misrepresents the EU position and the international legal consensus regarding the Occupied

Palestinian Territories. As EU High Representative Catherine Ashton stated, in no way will the guidelines prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The guidelines rather reflect the EUs long-held position that the settlements are illegal and that the Union will not recognize changes to the pre-1967 borders other than agreed by both parties. Their strict application serves to re-iterate that the EU does not recognize and will not support settlements and other illegal facts on the ground that increasingly dictate a unilateral reality inimical to a two state agreement. It is these facts on the ground, not the guidelines, which threaten to make a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible. The Palestinians have agreed to enter negotiations without explicit Israeli or US guarantees that these negotiations will be based on the pre-1967 borders. As you will recall, the guidelines release in mid-July was an important incentive for the Palestinians to agree to a resumption of direct talks without such explicit guarantees. If the EU were to delay or suspend the guidelines, or not fully apply them to the agreement with Israel on Horizon 2020, this could further undermine the Palestinians trust in the negotiation process and their ability to continue the talks. In other words, delaying or suspending the guidelines is likely to undermine negotiations, which we want to see succeed, not help them. Furthermore, political considerations aside, the EU is obligated under its own existing law to effectively prevent the application of its agreements and programmes to illegal settlements outside Israels recognised borders. In fact, the guidelines are the required minimum for the EU to fully and effectively implement its own legislation and to prevent its taxpayers money from being used to support activities in settlements. We welcome your efforts in the Middle East Peace Process and fully support the EUs goal of a negotiated two-state solution. A delay or suspension of the guidelines wont help achieve this solution. On the contrary, it would undermine the negotiations by alienating the Palestinians and by reinforcing Israels intransigence. In addition, it would damage the EUs credibility and erode its vital foundations as a law-based community. We urge you to be steadfast and support EU institutions in fully applying the guidelines. Yours sincerely, Members of the European Eminent Persons Group: Frans Andriessen, former Vice-President of the European Commission Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, former Vice-Prime Minister of the Netherlands John Bruton, former Prime Minister of Ireland Benita Ferrero-Waldner, former European Commissioner for External Relations and Former Foreign Minister of Austria Jeremy Greenstock, former UK Ambassador to the UN; Co-Chair of the EEPG Teresa Patricio Gouveia, Former Foreign Minister of Portugal Wolfgang Ischinger, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Germany and current Chairman of the Munich Security Conference; Co-Chair of the EEPG Miguel Moratinos, former Foreign Minister of Spain and former EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Pierre Schori, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Sweden Clare Short, former UK Secretary of State for International Development

Javier Solana, former EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and Former NATO Secretary-General Peter Sutherland, former EU Commissioner for Competition and former Director-General of the World Trade Organization Andreas Van Agt, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Hans Van den Broek, former Foreign Minister of the Netherlands and Former EU Commissioner for External Relations Hubert Vdrine, former Foreign Minister of France; Co-Chair of the EEPG

Notes and Links Neither the ECFR, which published the letter from the European Eminent Persons Group, nor the EEPG is a formal EU institution. However the two groups have a close relationship with each other and both direct much of their work towards influencing the policy of the European Commission in particular and the European Union more widely. Most European countries, including Turkey, have members on the ECFR. Those not included are Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and most of the former Yugoslavia except for Croatia and Slovenia. The ECFR About the European Council on Foreign Relations From ECFR website The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is the first pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values-based foreign policy. It is independent and has no connection to the institutions of the EU. See below for information about its various sources of funding. ECFR has developed a strategy with three distinctive elements that define its activities: A pan-European Council. ECFR has brought together a distinguished Council of over one hundred Members politicians, decision makers, thinkers and business people from the EUs member states and candidate countries which meets once a year as a full body. Through geographical and thematic task forces, members provide ECFR staff with advice and feedback on policy ideas and help with ECFRs activities within their own countries. The Council is chaired by Martti Ahtisaari, Joschka Fischer and Mabel van Oranje. A physical presence in the main EU member states. ECFR, uniquely among European think-tanks, has offices in Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Sofia and Warsaw. Our offices are platforms for research, debate, advocacy and communications. A distinctive research and policy development process. ECFR has brought together a team of distinguished researchers and practitioners from all over Europe to advance its objectives through innovative projects with a pan-European focus. ECFRs activities include primary research, publication of policy reports, private meetings and public debates, friends of ECFR gatherings in EU capitals and outreach to strategic media outlets.

ECFRs publications, along with the views expressed in podcasts, articles and blog posts, represent the views of its authors, not the collective position of ECFR or its Council Members. ECFR hopes to stimulate constructive debate about Europes place in the world. Source: http://jfjfp.com/?p=48914