Sanctions against Israel a necessity: Analyst

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?

Williams: Well, it was a gesture. I mean because it is very difficult... basically they are waving their fingers at Israelis and saying ‘You must tell us which goods come from settlements.’ You know, these people tell lies! They will just bring the stuff in and say they are produced in Israel; they won’t identify it is coming from the settlements. It will be very difficult to maintain a paper-trail to prove that something comes from the settlements. And real tough sanctions will be ‘Hey! Unless you stop the settlements then we are not letting anything in from Israel at all because they might be tainted, they might be from occupied territories. Then you are getting serious. But I have not seen anybody going that far so far.

Press TV: Are you saying in a sense that the political will at this point does not exist within the European Union to take more tough measures or is it something else that is holding them back?

Williams: There is a political will. I mean there is tremendous pressure... the pro-Israeli lobby is very strong across Europe, much stronger than it was a few years ago. And also, they are all looking at each other’s shoulders. A German diplomat told me several years ago that Germany is horrified by what Israel is doing but it don’t do anything about for historical reasons... the Dutch and the British don’t move as well. So everybody is looking at each other and thinking who is going to take the first step. So in a sense that gives some added significance to this Eminent Persons report because they are breaking the wall of silence and telling the truth... just straightforward simple truth. But it is amazing how potent that can be in a context where everybody is scared to tell the truth.

MTM/KA

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