Edelstein: EU boycott hurts ties
The EU’s policy to label products of Judea and Samaria is a sensitive topic that can harm its relations with Israel, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein warned in the legislature’s annual gathering for heads of foreign missions.
Ambassadors and other senior diplomats from 72 countries attended the gathering in the Knesset.
Edelstein said of the labeling policy that “there is no need to explain how sensitive this subject is for Jews. It could hurt Israel’s relations with Europe.”
“If, God forbid, a country adopts a boycott of Judea and Samaria, the relations between Israel and that country will be harmed, and it is unfortunate that the populations suffer because of foreign political interests,” he added.
The Knesset speaker’s comments came after a recent ruling in the European Court of Justice that the policy of labeling products from the West Bank, Golan Heights and east Jerusalem as not from Israel is legal, reinforcing the directive to EU member states.
Edelstein also commented on the current political paralysis, a day before the deadline for a majority of the Knesset to support a candidate for prime minister or an election will automatically be called.
“The State of Israel is dealing with a challenging situation. It is hard to believe that there is a chance we will avoid a third round [of elections],” he said. “Unfortunately, we are joining the group of parliamentary democracies that have experienced such things. I still hope that this situation, which hurts the economy, security and society, will work out, but I doubt it will happen.”
Edelstein added that he is concerned that Israel is “missing significant opportunities” due to the political situation.
MK Moshe Ya’alon of Blue and White, a former IDF chief of staff and defense minister, also addressed the diplomats.
“The Middle East is in the most unstable situation since the beginning of Islam. The bad news is that it won’t end soon. The good news is that it’s not because of Israel,” he said.
Ya’alon argued against the “linkage” theory that says the Israel-Palestinian conflict is the source of instability throughout the region.
“There is no Israel-Arab conflict anymore, because Iran threatens everyone and Israel stands on the same side as the Sunni regimes,” he explained.