Progress?

19Nov08

First this:

“Relations between Israel and Britain remained strained on Thursday over Downing Street’s intention to label products manufactured in West Bank settlements, a week before the expected arrival of British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, David Miliband, to the Middle East.

Miliband, who will visit Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Lebanon next week, is expected to talk to Israeli officials over the settlements in the West Bank and his country’s proposed plan to label products manufactured in them”,

and now this:

“The European Parliament foreign affairs committee has approved increased participation by Israel in EU programmes as part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) but linked it to respect for the commitments given by Israel at the Annapolis Mideast summit.

“Companies and organisations based in the settlements in the occupied territories must not be eligible to take part,” the MEPs said in resolution adopted last week…

“Measures should be taken to prevent participation in these programmes by Israeli companies and organisations based in the settlements, by tightening up checks on Israeli products imported into the EU under preferential trade rules,” the resolution says.

It adds: “Infringement proceedings should be started if products from the occupied Palestinian territories bearing Israeli labels are exported to the Union.”

Might we possibly be witnessing the beginnings of a change in approach?

Filed under: Israeli / Palestinian, UK   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: David Miliband, EU, Europe, settlements, settlers