Liberty, democracy, brutality

[bemildred]

Many EU politicians treat Israel as a state that holds the highest European ideals dear. But this is hogwash

Diplomatic pressure from the European Union has been credited as being partly responsible for how Israel allowed some deliveries of food, medicine and fuel to Gaza over the past few days.

But you would never guess that senior EU officials had been flexing their metaphorical muscles if you saw one particular document distributed to the Brussels press corps.

---

According to his prepared script for a conference entitled Israel at 60: test of endurance, Frattini did not allude once to the blockade imposed on Gaza, even though the UN considers it to be an illegal act of "collective punishment".

Instead, he insinuated that opponents of Israel in Europe were guilty of antisemitism. "This prejudice, this stance against Israel and Jews, has no place in today's Europe," he said.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/david_cronin/2008/01/liberty_democracy_brutality.html

[kayecy]

1. You got to give it to Israel - It does a great con job.......

The full document is worth reading. - Europe may not have an AIPAC but Israel still has plenty of influence and the Palestinians non at all.

[LeftishBrit]

2. He should condemn the British actions in Iraq first...

was that 'holding the highest Europaean ideals dear'?

[bemildred]

3. European ideals are largely a sham.

Always have been, except perhaps domestically since WWII. In international relations it's pretty much dog-eat-dog and devil take the hindmost.

[LeftishBrit]

4. They seem so until one starts looking at some of the alternatives

Reading here what some American right-wingers think of Europaean culture, together with my existing knowledge of what some Muslim Right extremists think of it, was quite seminal in convincing me to support Britain's membership of the EU.

However, they certainly don't always act in accordance with their ideals.

[bemildred]

5. They are better than some, to be sure.

But most of that seems to be a product of their genuinely democratic political systems and their historical failures in dealing with each other and various former imperial subjects. They are still not at all above an unprincipled pursuit of their own self-interest. I don't really think they should not pursue their own self-interest, but a more scrupulous attention to the requirements of international law would serve them better. And bit less self-applause would serve us all better. The unbridled pursuit of self-interest at the expense of the just needs and rights of others will always get you in trouble sooner or later.