ISRAEL HAS condemned European Union member states of the UN Security Council, saying their criticism of Israel amounts to interference in its internal affairs and makes them “irrelevant”.
The unusually harsh statement from Israel’s foreign ministry came in response to criticism from the UK, France, Germany and Portugal following a debate on the Middle East at the United Nations security council.
The four states issued a statement condemning this week’s decision by Israel to construct another 1,000 homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank and recent attacks by settlers on Palestinians.
The foreign ministry statement advised the EU states to concentrate efforts on helping restart direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, instead of “interfering” in Israel’s internal affairs. “If instead of contributing to stability in the Middle East, European Union members of the UN security council are investing their efforts in inappropriate bickering with the one country in which the independent judicial system knows how to deal with lawbreakers, then they are losing their credibility and making themselves irrelevant,” the statement noted.
The foreign ministry suggested that European efforts would be better applied to helping end the bloodshed in Syria, to promoting democracy in the Arab world or to thwarting Iran’s nuclear drive.
The strongly-worded statement drew criticism from within the government and from the opposition.
Defence minister Ehud Barak told Israel radio that European countries were “very relevant” and stand together with Israel on key issues.
“On issues that are important to Israel, such as combating the attempts to push us to the International Criminal Court, we turn to Sarkozy and Cameron, so I don’t think we should turn them into insulted and bitter opponents,” he said. “Germany, France and Britain are not Tanzania, Mauritania or Tripolitania. These are very important countries and we have no interest in increasing tension with them.”
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni accused the foreign ministry of “declaring war” on Israel’s most important European allies, and thereby damaging the country’s security. “Without legitimacy in the world we could never act against terror, as we did in the past,” she said.
The statement by the UK, France, Germany and Portugal called for the immediate cessation of all settlement building, including in east Jerusalem, saying announcements of continued construction “sent a devastating message.” The statement also criticised “the disturbing escalation of violence by settlers,” while welcoming Israel’s condemnation of recent “price tag” attacks and promises to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Officials in Jerusalem were particularly angered by the EU states’ call for Israel and the Palestinians to present detailed plans on security and borders to the Quartet – the US, EU, Russia and UN – in an effort to revive stalled peace talks. Foreign ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson said this contradicted the EU and Quartet position.