European diplomats heckled by Israeli protesters
European diplomats were heckled by around 20 protesters from the radical Israeli right, accusing them of being "anti-Semitic" and telling them to "go home".
RFI / Guilhem Delteil
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
It is a project that raises a lot of concerns on the international scene.
The Israeli government on Sunday (November 15th) launched a tender for the construction of a new settlement in East Jerusalem.
The approach has been denounced by the UN, the European Union and many countries.
It is seen as a serious threat to the viability of the two-state solution as this colony would cut East Jerusalem from the south of the West Bank, preventing any territorial continuity.
In protest, about fourteen European diplomats went there on Monday.
But they were greeted by protesters from the Israeli radical right.
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Guilhem Delteil
On their arrival at the entrance to Givat HaMatos, European diplomats saw around twenty demonstrators running towards them.
Waving Israeli flags, they called European diplomats "
anti-Semites
", telling them to "
go home
".
For them, Israel has put off construction projects in this colony for too long.
International pressure had succeeded in bending Benyamin Netanyahu, denounces Aryeh King, deputy mayor of Jerusalem and organizer of this rally: "
The only reason why we did not build here, it is not because of Trump, Biden or Obama but it is because of Bibi Netanyahu, the weak leader we have in our country, who is afraid of his shadow.
"
There, diplomats received explanations from Ir Amim, an Israeli organization that claims to defend "
a fair and stable Jerusalem
".
The representative of the European Union, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, tries to engage in dialogue with some demonstrators but without success.
It was finally in another neighborhood that he was able to speak: “
Israel is a free democratic society.
Of course, anyone can protest and disagree with a point of view that anyone expresses.
Unfortunately, we were unable to engage in normal dialogue with the demonstrators
.
"
► See also: Israel: a call for tenders launched in a settlement district in East Jerusalem
For the European Union, these constructions threaten the territorial continuity between two parts of territories internationally recognized as Palestinian, East Jerusalem and the southern West Bank, thus changing the internationally accepted parameters of conflict resolution without negotiation.
She asks the Israeli authorities to cancel this call for tenders.
And also calls on Israel's new Arab partners: “
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have signed normalization agreements in order to stop annexation.
This was said explicitly by the representatives of the two countries.
What we are seeing here is an attempt at de facto annexation.
And this cannot continue.
"
A reminder of their responsibilities launched while the Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs is precisely expected this Wednesday in Jerusalem.
Sixteen European diplomats visited the controversial Givat Hamatos site in Jerusalem on Monday.
Israel yesterday launched a call for tenders to begin construction of this settlement.
A decision denounced by the UN and the European Union.
RFI / Guilhem Delteil
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