EU Calls For Explanations From Israel Over Diplomat Scuffle; Israel Considers Banishing French...
European diplomats are holding Israel accountable over an incident where IDF servicemen attacked a EU humanitarian convoy in the West Bank on Friday. So far Tel Aviv has left the scandal in limbo, offering no official explanation for the incident.
Diplomats from several EU countries have spoken out against the shocking incident of harassing a person with diplomatic immunity, clearly awaiting some sort of official reaction from the state of Israel.
After disturbing photos of the French diplomat, Marion Fesneau-Castaing, spread on the ground with IDF soldiers standing around her hit international news, the scandal over hijacked EU aid to homeless Bedouins from demolished villages in the West Bank has gained momentum.
“EU representatives have already contacted the Israeli authorities to demand an explanation and expressed their concern at the incident,” says a statement issued by the spokesmen for EU foreign policy, Catherine Ashton and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva.
An EU official described the Israeli actions as “shocking and outrageous”, the BBC reported.
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http://rt.com/news/israel-reaction-idf-eu-attack-195/
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Israel Considers Banishing French Diplomat Who Tussled With Border Police
By Barak Ravid | Sep. 22, 2013 | 2:24 PM
Israel is considering taking action against one of the participants in an altercation that took place last week between European diplomats and Israeli Border Police officers, and is weighing whether to declare a French diplomat persona non-grata because of what officials say was inappropriate behavior for a diplomat, Haaretz has learned.
National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror is holding discussions to decide whether the French diplomat may be declared a persona non-grata. A decision has not yet been reached, but if such a measure is adopted, the diplomat, Marion Fesneau-Castaing, would no longer be afforded diplomatic immunity and would be banished from Israel.
“Diplomats are sent by their governments to act as a bridge and not as provocateurs,” the Foreign Ministry said. “The European diplomats and their governments owe an explanation for this blatant violation of diplomatic codes of conduct. Israel has already made it clear that it will not accept this misconduct. Israel's response will reflect the seriousness of these violations.”
The incident occurred on Friday, when several European diplomats and activists were trying to help Palestinians erect tents in the village of Khirbet Makhoul, where Israeli authorities had demolished illegally built homes earlier in the week.
Fesneau-Castaing is the cultural attaché for the French Consulate in Jerusalem. While the French Embassy in Tel Aviv is responsible for ties with Israel, the Jerusalem consulate is responsible for relations with the Palestinian Authority.
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http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.548262
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