Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a strong supporter of Israel ‘dreams’ of the day when Israel would become a full member of the EU. Berlusconi’s sentiments however are not shared by all EU members.
The benefits to the E.U, should Israel ever be fully accepted are considerable. Israel’s advanced technological knowhow and highly trained military would obviously be a welcome addition to the European family, but at what cost to Israel – more pressure to uproot settlements in Judea Samaria, divide Jerusalem?
Israel is already a participant in European Neighborhood Policy, Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and enjoys favorable EU trade terms via an association agreement that came into force in 2000.
Concerning Iran, Silvio Berlusconi, is expected to sign an agreement with Israel, promised full support for the Iranian opposition, and noted that Iran has a leader “who reminds us of evil people from the past.” Berlusconi has previously compared Ahmadinejad with Hitler.
Prime Minister Berlusconi went on to say, "The entire international community must decide to state clearly, unequivocally and unanimously that it is unacceptable that nuclear weapons should be in the hands of a state whose leaders have openly proclaimed the will to destroy Israel and have denied both the Holocaust and the legitimacy of the Jewish state"
On operation “Cast Lead” Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi spoke out against “a damning UN report on the Gaza war.” saying “We were against the Goldstone Report, which tried to incriminate Israel for its justified response to Hamas rockets.” Berlusconi also said Israel "is not only the biggest example of democracy and liberty in the Middle East, but the only example." "Today the security of Israel... is for us Italians an ethical and moral imperative" and "Italy is proud of its many gestures of solidarity towards your country... such as our vote against the Goldstone report, which sought to criminalize Israel for responding to the rockets Hamas fired from Gaza." he said before a special session of the Knesset.
During Prime Minister Berlusconi’s visit, nine various agreements to cooperate in science, technology, industrial research and development, environmental protection, water, healthcare and more were signed. Also discussed were Israel’s desire to advance the peace process and Israel’s willingness to enter peace talks immediately without preconditions. The next meeting of the two prime Ministers will take place later on this year in Italy.
More News from Jerusalem
No comments:
Post a Comment