Secret gov't report: Israel on collision course with Europe

[Scurrilous]

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/488303.html

<snip>

"A secret report prepared by the Foreign Ministry warns that Israel's global standing could deteriorate in the coming decade and could even resemble the pariah status of apartheid South Africa, Army Radio said Wednesday.

The report says Israel and Europe will find themselves on a collision course that will cause serious economic and diplomatic damage to Israel.

It examines various scenarios for the development of Israel's relationship with Europe and Russia and says Europe's international stature is strengthening. In light of ongoing European criticism of Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a more powerful Europe could weaken Israel's position."

[usrbs]

1. I keep telling my family and friends in Israel that they are in big danger

as Israel can't survive without allies and eventually the U.S. won't support a pariah state either, but they're just so happy the wall has reduced the attacks they don't see the larger picture. As soon as this election is over I'm going to become active in Brit Tzedek, as hopeless as it may seem.

[tinnypriv]

3. If you're interested in Tzedek

I'd advise not advocating the Roadmap as "compatible" with Shalom, which is exactly what the Alliance for Justice and Peace does.

[tinnypriv]

2. Great

The sooner the better.

BTW, this article is the usual idiocy one has come to expect from Ha'aretz when the author is unidentified.

Two quick points:

1. This "more powerful" Europe wouldn't "weaken Israel's position", it would weaken Greater Israel's position - a very different thing.

2. The part at the bottom of this article is ridiculous - it says that:

"Comparisons between Israel's diplomacy in the territories and South Africa's policies in the apartheid era are a frequent refrain among international and Israeli left-wing organizations, including the United Nations"

Okay, fair enough - except that Israel has zero "diplomacy" in "the territories" (it does not recognise the Palestinian nation or the Palestinians right to self-determination for example), and the apartheid comparison is not just restricted to "international and Israeli left-wing organizations, including the United Nations", but written starkly in the most right-wing publications, by the most respected Likud friendly analysts.

For example, Dan Margalith of Ma'ariv wrote at the time of the Likud Gaza vote that the choice was the Sharon plan ("Vote Yes") or "Apartheid" àôøèäééã ("Vote No").

[bemildred]

4. Avoids mentioning Uncle Sugar stepping in a cow-flop in Iraq too.

The core issue is that Uncle Sugar's ability to insulate Israel
from the consequences of it's governments simple-minded incompetence
cannot be expected to endure. The US cannot afford it, and the Eur-Asian
powers will not put up with the constant mess in a region
crucial to their "interests".