EU Commission Notice - as good as it seems?

A stop sign outside the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim. Photo by Reuters

This week, the European Union release a Commission Notice saying that Israeli entities beyond the Green Line (in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights) will not benefit from funding for grants, projects and programs from the EU.  The announcement caused an uproar in Israeli media.  Of course the Israeli government was less than happy about the Commission Notice.  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded aggressively, while falling back on direct negotiations, which he has never shown a real interest in:

I will not allow the hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), the Golan Heights and Jerusalem to be harmed. We will not follow any demands regarding our borders. These issues will be resolved only through direct negotiations." 

Naftali Bennet called it an "'economic terror attack' that has 'destroyed any possibility of negotiations.'"

Many Israelis wrote in support of the EU guidelines.

Noam Sheizaf, in her article entitled The Day Europe Got Israeli's Attention, wrote: "The European Union's decision to limit all joint projects with Israel beyond the pre-1967 borders accomplished what all of President Obama’s speeches and Secretary of State Kerry’s diplomatic missions have failed to – it put the occupation back as the top story on the Israeli agenda."

Nehemia Strasler claimed that the EU Commission Notice is finally an action from the EU, instead of words: "For decades the Europeans only talked and threatened. For decades they were led astray by our right-wing governments that promised negotiations and a construction freeze in the settlements. This time the Europeans got tired and took action; they're stopping funding, grants and awards to any Israeli entity linked to the settlements."

He continued saying that this is the first step to more sanctions, which will begin to be felt by the public: They understand that when the public feels the sanctions in the form of lower salaries, rising prices and increasing unemployment, it will realize that it's impossible to fool all the world all the time." Once the public feels these sanctions, the government will be forced to face them.

Gideon Levy claimed that this is a critical juncture:  "The country finds itself at a critical juncture over whether to continue to maintain the occupation and pay the unbearable price, or whether to end the occupation, albeit outrageously late, and return Israel to the family of nations as a member in good standing."

As you know, I support boycott and the EU Commission may be a big step in holding Israel accountable for its actions. Israelis seem to know that sanctions will be felt by the public, the Occupation will become a topic in the forefront of the Israeli mind, and the government will then be forced to face the fact that the Occupation is no longer sustainable if it wants its country to live prosperous and in security.

But is the EU Commission Notice as good as it seems?

+972 magazine reported pointed out that the Commission Notice details that: “The place of establishment is understood to be the legal address where the entity is registered, as confirmed by practice postal address corresponding to a concrete physical location.”

This means that numerous Israeli companies operating in the Occupied West Bank but have their offices in Tel Aviv or Airport City in Israeli proper, such as SodaStream, AHAVA, and Agrexco, may avoid the consequences of the EU Commission Notice.

In addition the Commission Notice does not bar member states from funding programs in the West Bank: "It applies to EU-funded programs but is not binding to member state programs. It means that Ariel University, for instance, cannot benefit from EU funding, but a member state can decide to fund it or conduct a joint program with it."

A happy ending

As for me, I hope that the EU Commission Notice will lead to a happy ending: an action against Israel's illegal settlement activity, which will lead the public to feel the effects of the occupation, who in the end will hold the government accountable and call it to end the occupation.  We will see, however, the effects of these new regulations on the ground, and whether the Israeli government and the Israeli people will continue to ignore the ongoing occupation.

Why I Support Boycott

What is BDS?

Palestinian civilc society initiated the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in 2005. The BDS movement is a call for response from global citizens to hold Israel accountable for human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories. Inspired by global boycott which led to the end of Apartheid in South Africa, BDS urges various forms of boycott until the end of the Israeli occupation, recognition of rights for Palestinians in Israel, and the return of Palestinian refugees.

Why do I support BDS?

Methodists support divestment. c/o endtheoccupation.org

The Israeli occupation and human rights violations continue.  Although its not in the news, daily Palestinians suffer from humiliating checkpoint, loss of land, lack of freedom of movement, and the continued building of the separation wall.  As the wife of a Palestinian living in the West Bank, everyday I'm reminded that if the occupation continues, my children will have to grow up in this.

They may not be able to hike in Cremisan, where my husband and I now do, because it will be taken by the wall. They may not be able to attend school if the Israeli army places curfews on the city.  They may witness frequent bouts of violence.  These are only a few issues my children may face.

Boycott is a non-violent way to oppose the human rights atrocities committed by Israel.  It is a way to hold Israel accountable for the wrongs that it commits. After 8 years, the BDS Movement is growing across the globe.  With the success of boycott in South Africa, BDS gives me hope that the Occupation too will end and my children will be able to live prosperous lives with peace, freedom, and security.

What can I do to help?

Many of my family, friends, and visitors ask after they have visited Palestine: What can I do to help? I tell them: you can tell your story and what you saw to your friend, you can encourage others to come and visit, and you can join a boycott movement.

On this blog, I will often share ways that you can be involved and highlight aspects of the boycott movement.  One way to get involved is the US Campaign to End the Occupation, join their email list and learn how to get involved.

Read more about BDS HERE.
On its 8th Anniversary: An interactive timeline of BDS gains.
A Recent success: Methodists vote to Divest.
An Israeli in support of boycott.

Traveling Alone

c/o goddessofadventure.com.

Sometimes the worst things about living under occupation aren't the big things.  The checkpoints, demonstrations, war airplanes, lack of water are all so frequent that you get used to them.  It's unfortunate.  Sometimes you don't realize the effect these are having on your inner, personal life until something out of the ordinary makes you aware once again.

Last weekend, I traveled with my husband to Sweden.  Well, I met him there.  He, being from Bethlehem, has a West Bank ID. This ID prohibits him from entering Jerusalem or the rest of Israel, and thus he cannot travel through the airport in Tel Aviv.  Instead, he must cross the border from the West Bank into Jordan and take a flight from Amman. I, as an American citizen, am able to travel through the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.

So last Tuesday, he headed to Amman.  On Wednesday he flew out to Sweden and on Thursday he arrived.  I, on the other hand, flew out of Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening and arrived to meet my husband on Thursday in Sweden.

Leaving, I left Monday morning and arrived Monday evening. As I write this, he is just landed in Amman and will not arrive home until tomorrow.

The facts of life that most of us take for granted like dropping your loved ones off at the airport, picking them up at the airport, and traveling together on a family vacation are things that Palestinians and those who choose to love them only dream of.  The logical idea of traveling separately is something that I can get used to.  The loneliness and feeling of separation from your loved ones, just because you do not have the same rights to travel in the same way; this I will never get used to.