Press TV has interviewed
Ian Williams, with Foreign Policy in Focus, from New York, to discuss
European Eminent Persons Group’s letter calling for Israel to be held
accountable for its crimes.
The following is a rough transcription.
Press TV: How significant is such a letter and what kind of an impact do you think it will have?
Williams: Well, we hope it has some impact. But several people have said to me today when hearing about it… why is it that only ex-ministers and ex-politicians dare to speak upon this issue? Why did they stay quite while they were all in office? That’s the real problem that these people are quiet when they are in office. The fact that they have now spoken up does create space inside Europe for a proper appreciation of this because the idea of putting pressure on Israel has become a sort of non-thought. People aren’t allowed to think it! And yet there is nothing that these people have said that isn’t self-evidence. The European Union official policy is that the occupation is illegal and that Israel should not benefit from it. And yet whenever anything is suggested to be done about it, somehow they always pull back from the brink. So maybe this statement will give a little more impetus to moves from for example members of the European Parliament to make sure that there are a serious trade sanction against goods from the settlements for example.
Press TV: Exactly! I’m glad that you brought up the goods from the settlements issue. Cause the EU, I would imagine that they have taken a first step in that regard. Do you think that step was enough? What more needs to be done?
Read more
http://rinf.com/alt-news/newswire/sanctions-israel-necessity-analyst/
The following is a rough transcription.
Press TV: How significant is such a letter and what kind of an impact do you think it will have?
Williams: Well, we hope it has some impact. But several people have said to me today when hearing about it… why is it that only ex-ministers and ex-politicians dare to speak upon this issue? Why did they stay quite while they were all in office? That’s the real problem that these people are quiet when they are in office. The fact that they have now spoken up does create space inside Europe for a proper appreciation of this because the idea of putting pressure on Israel has become a sort of non-thought. People aren’t allowed to think it! And yet there is nothing that these people have said that isn’t self-evidence. The European Union official policy is that the occupation is illegal and that Israel should not benefit from it. And yet whenever anything is suggested to be done about it, somehow they always pull back from the brink. So maybe this statement will give a little more impetus to moves from for example members of the European Parliament to make sure that there are a serious trade sanction against goods from the settlements for example.
Press TV: Exactly! I’m glad that you brought up the goods from the settlements issue. Cause the EU, I would imagine that they have taken a first step in that regard. Do you think that step was enough? What more needs to be done?
Read more
http://rinf.com/alt-news/newswire/sanctions-israel-necessity-analyst/
No comments:
Post a Comment