Israel Need Not Fear Isolation
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 | Yossi Aloni ISRAEL TODAY
Israel is fearful that a collapse of peace talks with the Palestinians could result in an international boycott and isolation. In fact, even the Americans have been warning of such an outcome.
But, it is important to remember that Israel has no shortage of loyal friends. Some of those friends recently came to Israel under the banner of the “Friends of Israel Initiative” to hold their annual meeting.
The gathering was addressed by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz.
More impressive, however, was the list of participants, which included former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar (pictured), former Uruguayan President Luis Alberto Lacalle, former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, former Italian Foreign Minister Julio Tarazi, former Czech Foreign Minister Karl Schwarzenberg, Nobel laureate and former First Minister of Northern Ireland David Trimble, and the head of British military forces in Afghanistan, Col. Richard Kemp.
The group also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein, who told the Friends of Israel that he hoped they, as distinguished former heads of state and leading politicians, could help explain the truth about Israel.
The Friends of Israel Initiative was established in 2010 to fight against efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state and to reaffirm Israel’s right to exist in peace and security alongside its neighbors.
The movement actively opposes any attempts to boycott. Aznar, who is the organization’s founder and current chairman, has forged a very friendly relationship with Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders.
In a statement to the Israeli press, Aznar had this to say:
"The [Friends of Israel] Initiative is neither a Public Relations campaign, nor a so-called Jewish lobby. Most of us are not Jewish, but we share the vision - as much one of values as of strategy - that when defending Israel we are defending the West. We are defending our way of life and values, and also our interests.
"Simply put, Europe must defend Israel if we want to preserve the West as we know it. Look at the changes sweeping the region. Uncertainty is the dominant factor. And Israel is both more important to the West today - and more besieged by hostility - than at any time in recent memory.
“Indeed, when considering the full picture of the strategic relationship (including not just diplomacy, but the equally critical realms of security; economy; and science) the close nature of the EU-Israel alliance becomes clear. Not only is Israel’s relationship with the EU and its member states closer than commonly portrayed, but, in the final analysis, it represents a strategic asset to the Union and its members.”
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