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European Trade with Israel, Illegitimate
By Anthony Bellchambers
Global Research, June 20, 2015

Url of this article:
https://www.globalresearch.ca/european-trade-with-israel-illegitimate/5457106

‘The Treaty on the European Union states that any European country may apply for membership if it respects the democratic values of the EU and is committed to promoting them. Countries wishing to join need to have: stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities.’

Israel, of course, is not in the continent of Europe but is located in the Middle East. Furthermore, Israel patently does not guarantee democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights or the protection of minorities. On the contrary, it has operated a documented and illegal blockade of essential supplies to 1.8 million civilians in Gaza in a failed attempt at regime change, for now over seven years!

Contemporaneously, the Israeli government has conspired in the illegal settlement of over 380,000 of its own citizens in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank in direct violation of Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention on Human Rights (GCIV).

The above facts automatically disqualify Israel from any application to join the EU either now or at any future date. More importantly, it means that all current bilateral trade is illegitimate and the Association Agreement should be annulled by reason of Israel’s continued gross breach of its provisions.

For the EU to continue to trade with Israel in the full knowledge of these continuing violations is not only illegitimate but ultra vires and causes grave damage to the democratic institutions of Europe. Its continuance indicates a malign and corrupt influence from an unconfirmed source in the internal affairs of the European community. This is a very serious charge that requires an answer if the European Union is to continue as a viable political and trading entity and is not to disintegrate with enormous economic and political damage to the whole of Europe and the free world.

By comparison, the current difficulties with Greece, arguably pale into near insignificance and, of course, Greece is not only a valued member of NATO but is also a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel is neither.

http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/policy/conditions-membership/index_en.htm

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