Secret document reveals: EU will help Arabs take over Area C

A EU expose divulges a secret plan to help the PA gain control over Israeli land in Judea and Samaria.


Illegal road construction in Area C

Illegal road construction in Area CISTOCK

A document drafted by the European Commission in Eastern Jerusalem calls for helping the Palestinian Authority actively take control of land in Area C, which is supposed to be under full Israeli control under the Oslo Accords.

A report by Channel 13 News revealed the document from which it appears that the EU will work to map land to prove Palestinian Arab rights there – without leaving traces of its activities. The document appears to point to the EU’s use of left-wing organizations in Israel for this purpose.

The EU also calls for “following and monitoring Israeli archaeological activity in the area” – on the grounds that it is being used as a pretext for settlement building in Judea and Samaria.

The document also states that there is a need for a common European vision and a more coordinated approach between the parties in Europe in order to maximize the ability to expand involvement in Area C.

It was reported that Israeli officials received access the document and are currently studying it.

The European Union responded: “As a general rule, we do not refer to documents. The policy of the Union is created by its 27 member states. Our policy has not changed – we are committed to a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as the future capital of both states. We call on Israel to allow a tangible improvement in the lives of the Palestinians, enable Palestinian construction, and put an end to deteriorating living conditions for Palestinians in the field.”

Chairman of the Religious Zionist Party, MK Bezalel Smotrich, responded, saying that, “the fight against the Arab takeover of open areas in Judea and Samaria is one of the most pressing and important challenges that the next government must address and one of the main reasons for my demand to receive authority for this in the Ministry of Defense.”

“The blatant involvement of the European Union in the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to establish facts on the ground and unilaterally establish a de facto Arab terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel is unacceptable, contrary to international law and law, and incompatible with basic rules of diplomacy in relations between states,” he pointed out.

“With God’s help, we will lead a combined effort in the next government – diplomatic, economic, enforcement and settlement – against the hostile activity of the Palestinian Authority and the international actors and we will stop it with determination,” he added.

Gush Etzion Council Head and Chairman of the Yesha Council Shlomo Ne’eman said: “The Arab takeover of Area C is the biggest strategic threat in our region. Its goal is nothing less than changing the borders of the country. Every week the State of Israel loses large areas, every day dozens of illegal homes are erected, roads are broken up and paved at significant points as part of an organized strategic plan.”

According to him, “The document revealed tonight is important proof of what we have been strongly asserting for years: the European Union is working maliciously together with the Palestinian Authority against the State of Israel. The matter is nothing less than preposterous – our allies, European governments, are actively working to revise the borders of our country. In years past, this would be grounds for wars between nations.”

“Tonight we are addressing the incoming government – the fight against the illegal takeover of Area C must be its first task. Leave everything else and preserve the nation’s lands, because there is nothing more important. The Zionist movement began its journey with the liberation of land. The loss of land to the enemy is a serious violation of national values and the bankruptcy of the Zionist dream,” he concluded.

MK Orit Strock of the Religious Zionism Party party called to put an end to the, “massive investment by the European Union in a subversive plan to establish a Palestinian state contrary to existing agreements and the law, and even worse, in cooperation with Israel’s Civil Administration.”

“This dangerous farce must stop, and it will stop: this is exactly what the elections were about, and we do not intend to give up the right and duty to protect all parts of our country against a hostile takeover,” she said.

Regavim also issued a statement following the expose.

“Once again, the façade has been stripped away from the ‘civil society,’ ‘humanitarian aid’ and ‘human rights’ organizations dedicated to undermining Israeli sovereignty.”

“The European Union’s massive involvement in the Palestinian Authority’s strategic annexation of Area C was exposed, once again, on Israeli television this evening – precisely as Regavim has been exposing it since our 2014 report, ‘The Last Colony,’ and in subsequent studies of the War of Attrition taking place on the ground in Judea and Samaria.

“The State of Israel must take decisive action against this brazen meddling, and prevent the establishment of a terrorist state in the heart of the Jewish homeland,” it said in the statement.


Iran says regional summit off Dead Sea coast a good opportunity to revive nuke talks

Jo set to host ‘Baghdad II’ conference, bringing together Iraq, France and main players in Mideast, including rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, in effort to defuse tensions

 

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) speaks at a press conference in Tehran on December 19, 2022. (AFP)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s foreign minister said Monday that a summit to take place this week in Jordan is a “good opportunity” for negotiations aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear accord.

On-off talks to revive the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), started in April last year between Iran and France, Germany, Britain, Russia, and China directly, and the United States indirectly.

But the indirect talks between the US and Iran, mediated by the European Union, have stalled for several months with the Islamic Republic facing protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin.

The Jordan summit “is a good opportunity for us to complete these discussions,” Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters in Tehran.

His comment came a day before Jordan on Tuesday hosts the “Baghdad II” conference, bringing together Iraq, France, and the main players in the Middle East, including rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, to defuse regional tensions through dialogue.

Amir-Abdollahian and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will be among the officials at the meeting along the Dead Sea.

“I hope that according to the approach of the Americans in the last three months, we will see a change of approach and the American side will behave realistically,” Amir-Abdollahian stressed.

“I clearly say to the Americans that they must choose between hypocrisy and the request to reach an agreement and the US return to the JCPOA,” he added.

The 2015 agreement gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to guarantee that Tehran could not develop a nuclear weapon — something it has always denied wanting to do.

But the US unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and the re-imposition of biting economic sanctions prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments.


Gantz: Time has come to put serious pressure on Iran

Defense Minister at Jewish Media Summit: Ties between us were forged 3,000 years ago and are stronger than any 1 government.


Benny Gantz

Benny GantzYoni Kempinski

 

Defense Minister and Chairman of the National Unity Party Benny Gantz delivered remarks this evening at the opening gala night and Hannukah candle-lighting ceremony of the annual Jewish Media Summit.

The summit, hosted by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, Government Press Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by over 100 reporters representing Jewish media platforms from around the world.

Minister Gantz commented on Israel’s ties to the diaspora as well as on the recent elections in Israel: “The ties that were forged between us over 3,000 years ago, are stronger than any single leader, government, or event. It is the responsibility of both the government of Israel and Jewish leaders around the world to recognize and integrate all the streams of Judaism. Only united, can we ensure our continuity and our resilience in Israel and around world.”

He added: “Having said this, today the situation in Israel is clear. We find ourselves after elections and it’s clear that I do not support the policies that the future government is already promoting. At the same time, I respect the democratic process and the results of this process in Israel – the only true democracy in the Middle East region. Our partners and friends, however entitled to their opinions, should not interfere in Israel’s internal politics.”

Regarding Iran, Minister Gantz said: “Iran is first a global and regional threat, and then it is a threat to the State of Israel. I believe this order to be true because Iran harms its own people, including violent attacks against innocent women protesting peacefully, it is a threat to the stability of the region, and to global peace and order as we know it. Just as NATO has rallied around Ukraine, we must push our international partners to face the biggest global tyrant, before it gains the power of deterrence – a nuclear umbrella.”

He added: “The timing is critical – now that Iran faces internal social and economic difficulties, when Iran faces pushback for its role in providing weapons to attack Ukraine, when it hasn’t yet reached the point of no return in its nuclear progress. We must deepen military, intelligence and diplomatic cooperation with partners, we must involve Jewish organizations, and increase dialogue around this challenge. The nuclear threat cannot fall from the global agenda. The time has come to place serious pressure on the Iranians in order to achieve a new and improved agreement. And if this should fail, the time has come for a combination of power projection and powerful reaction to Iranian aggression. Our action must be preemptive. Before it’s too late.”