A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT AT THE EU

A meeting with Judea/Samaria representatives took place at the EU:

A historic conference in support of the Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria took place Tuesday inside one of the bastions of opposition to the Jewish presence in the region – the European Parliament.

The conference was organized by the Deputy Chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Dr. Fiorello Provera of Italy, who became a supporter of the Jewish communities after touring Samaria (Shomron), and by senior MEP Bastiaan Belder of Holland, who has also become a friend of Samaria in recent years.

The Israeli delegation included Samaria (Shomron) Regional Council Head Gershon Mesika, Acting Council Head Yossi Dagan, and the Director of Shomron Foreign Department, Shay Atias. MK Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) was also a part of the delegation.

David Walzer, Israel's Ambassador to the EU, delivered an address at the conference – the first time he has done so alongside the Samaria representatives.

[...] Samaria Regional Council Head Gershon Mesika said in his speech that “the European Union needs to carry out some serious soul searching, as regards its treatment of the Jewish people throughout history, in general, and specifically in recent years. The bad old anti-Semitism is cloaked in a costume of anti-Israelism nowadays.”

Mesika's deputy, Yossi Dagan, also addressed the gathering.

“The most important thing is to come out and see things with one's own eyes. For years, we have been talking in this building about Judea and Samaria, and yet most people have not been there and have not seen the reality," he said.

Dagan also took the opportunity to call on the EU to end its funding for radical anti-Israel organizations.

"The EU must stop funding the extreme leftist organizations that are sabotaging the coexistence in the factories of Judea and Samaria. This is a great waste of money and it harms coexistence as well as relations between the EU and Israel.”

MK Shaked called for a change in the very terminology employed within the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“It is time to say the truth: Judea and Samaria are not occupied territory, but disputed territory. That is the truth as far as international law is concerned, as well.”

The Israelis' speeches were marked by applause from the audience.

MEP Adrian Severin of Romania said that the EU needs to rethink its new policy regarding marking products from Judea and Samaria.

I'm glad Severin's made some sense. If he wants to prove his capability in mending fences, he can come take a tour here without fear of being hated by anti-Israelists. The same goes for many other Euro-delegates. And, they can cancel that marketing policy of theirs completely.