More EU states to stand up to Israel policies: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Joe Catron, a member of the International Solidarity Movement in New York, about a judge in Spain issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seven other former and current Israeli officials over a 2010 fatal raid by the Tel Aviv regime on a Gaza-bound aid ship.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What do you make of this? Why has Spain you think gone this direction and will they continue to hold this line because obviously Israel is not happy about this ruling?

Catron: Well I think Spain and other governments particularly within the European Union have been facing tremendous pressure from their citizens over their support for Israel’s impunity over these crimes and of course the Israeli regime’s own behavior has not helped matters, not only the brutality with which they treated Palestinians for 67 years but also the sheer arrogance with which they respond to international criticism of this ongoing situation that we see.

And because of this, the government such as Spain has felt pressure to do something which I think is what we are beginning to see put into motion through this ruling by the Spanish court. Of course the Israeli … [regime] and its leading allies, foremost the United States, will be bringing their own overwhelming pressure to bear against the Spanish government in this matter, so how much the Spanish court will be able to stick to its guns and maintain the law, continue the course that it has set, that remains to be seen.

Press TV: But do you think that we are seeing, even just having this mentioned in the way it is in Spain, do you think that we are in a type of transition, are beginning, we are seeing more and more countries starting to want to stand up to Israeli policies?  

Catron: I think that is something we are seeing and it is something that we have been seeing for a little while. It is notable that recently when Israel was complaining quite grievously about the new EU policy on the labeling of products made in its illegal settlements in the West Bank, even the United States government would not stand with them. They refused to support the Israeli’s farcical grievances over this and that is something that is really unparalleled in recent history - the United States refusing to back Israel in a matter like this.

We are seeing considerably more of this in Europe. Things are more advanced there and I think it is a process that it is going to continue.    

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