RAMALLAH, July 31, 2012 (WAFA) – The Palestinian youth movement, Palestinians for Dignity, strongly denounced in a statement issued Monday the European Union’s upgrading of its trade and economic cooperation with Israel in spite of its strong criticism of Israel’s occupation and settlement policy.
“The EU has decided to upgrade its trade and diplomatic relations with the state of Israel despite the latter’s intensification of its occupation, colonization and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” said the statement.
“The new deal will reportedly offer Israel upgraded trade and diplomatic relations in more than 60 areas, effectively reversing the freeze that was imposed after the vicious assault of the Israeli occupation forces on the Gaza Strip in December 2008 - January 2009,” it added.
Palestinians for Dignity described this move as “nothing less than outrageous.”
It said Israel’s non-stop policies flouting the will of the international community, its breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions, its violations of international law and its daily abuses the human rights of the Palestinian people whether in its settlement policies, construction of the Apartheid Wall and its blockade of Gaza are “deserving of condemnation and sanctions, not rewards and benefits.”
The statement said “EU’s policies have only served to prolong Israel’s occupation and our oppression.”
It called on the EU Member States, and the EU as a whole, to decide “to either demonstrate their support for human rights or continue their support of Israel’s violent occupation and apartheid regime and risk losing not only the Palestinian people but Arab peoples and people of conscience all over the world.”
Palestinians for Dignity called on the EU to immediately freeze the new upgrade of relations with Israel, suspend the existing EU-Israel Association Agreement until Israel complies with international law, and investigate and halt the work of all European companies benefiting from Israel’s occupation and settlement policies.
The Palestinian youth movement warned that unless the EU agrees to its call, it will organize protests “to challenge (the EU’s) presence and operations in Palestine.”
M.S.
