The European Union gave Hamas more time to renounce terror and accept Israel’s right to exist. A Dutch leader put it in a time frame. From Bloomberg:
“We still have three or four weeks to make up our minds,” Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot said. “Once people are in power, maybe they change their position.”
Shall we hold Mr. Bot to this? This blog has put it on its calendar. On the first of March, which gives Bot a little wiggle room, we will examine what has happened and see what he has said and what the EU has done.
Germany’s FM was less specific, at least according to the Bloomberg report:
“The key lies in the Palestinian territories,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. “There, a decision needs to be taken on whether to take the political path. That means renouncing violence, putting down arms and recognizing Israel’s right to exist.”
How many weeks or years is Herr Steinmeier offering? We don’t know. Bot explained things this way:
“Europe always has said that it will not do business with a regime that intends to eliminate another country and that favors terrorist attacks.”
Oh, really? I haven’t seen the well-known opinions of Mr. Ahmadinejad slowing down this European company’s business activities in Islamofascist Iran, not for a second. [You didn't read carefully. Bot said "Europe has always said". Not what it would do.-ed. Touché]
UPDATE: No comment so far from the Europeans on the following Hamas demand for the Israelis to change their flag.
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3 Comments
1. Sissy Willis:How about renouncing Israel’s flag’s right to exist?
Hamas demands that Israel remove the two blue stripes from its national flag.
Jan 30, 2006 - 10:43 am 2. voletti:Where there is a will, there has to be a way. An old saying goes.
Am sure the EU will find a way to continue paying jizya. In between, there was a brief surge of hope and spine for the old world in the Danish PM’s steadfast defense of press freedom in his country in the ongoing cartoon jihad. At least one EU trade commisionar has been quoted as saying a boycott of Danish goods (by seething Arab nations) is tantamount to a boycott of EU goods. This was an oasis in the sand and so far I haven’t heard more support for this position. Am tuned in as always.
Jan 30, 2006 - 11:16 am 3. Terrye:Why is it up to the west anyway? If it is so important to those Arab nations why don’t they pick up the tab?
Jan 30, 2006 - 11:57 am