1000 EU parliament members sign letter opposing sovereignty plan

The letter was signed by 1,080 EU parliament members from 25 countries.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

More than a thousand European MPs signed a sharp letter of opposition to Israel’s plan to extend sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, saying it could undermine stability in the region and went against the most basic principles of international relations between states.

The letter was signed by 1,080 EU parliament members from 25 countries. The letter was the brainchild of former Israeli MK Avraham Burg.

Burg, who once served as speaker of the Knesset and head of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency, has increasingly embraced controversial positions on Israel. His statements over the years have become in some cases hard to distinguish from anti-Semites. He told Der Spiegel in 2009, “my fellow countrymen are in love with war.” He has accused Israelis of having a “spiteful identity,” one of “suspicion and seclusion.”

In May, he was one of the signatories to a letter to the Irish government asking it to enact the Occupied Territories Bill, which would prevent Ireland from importing products from any companies based in eastern Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the Golan Heights, or Gaza.

The current letter comes as President Donald Trump’s advisers are set to discuss whether to green light a sovereignty move by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Reports say they are to meet on Wednesday evening to discuss the U.S. position.

According to the Trump Mideast plan, Israel can extend sovereignty over 30 percent of Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights. The usual suspects opposed the idea, including the Palestinian Authority, the Arab states, the EU, known for its hostility to Israel, and Israel’s Left.

More surprising was the opposition from some settlement leaders. They oppose the idea of a Palestinian state that is included in the plan. Although they are in favor of sovereignty, they say the price is too high if it means a terror state in the middle of Israel’s heartland.

Other settlement leaders who support the plan point to the demands placed on the Palestinians in order for them to receive a state. They say the chances the Palestinians will agree to the conditions are nil.