Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Blair non rappresenta il Regno Unito...

Almeno le cose iniziano a muoversi per il verso giusto...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1141329,00.html
Shelve Israel trade deal, say MPs
Commons group condemns damage to Palestinian economy and calls for
suspension of EU agreement
Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor
Thursday February 5, 2004
The Guardian
MPs today deliver the most damning verdict yet from a British parliamentary
group on Israel's behaviour in the Palestinian occupied territories and
calls for suspension of its billion-pound European Union trade agreement.
The report, by a Commons select committee which conducted a six-month
inquiry last year, blames Israel's incursions, curfews, checkpoints and
other restrictions - including its security wall along the West Bank - for
choking the Palestinian economy.
The MPs say that what "makes the poverty so unpalatable is the level of
deprivation vis a vis Israel, and the awareness that it is not the result of
natural calamity but of deliberate actions on the part of the government of
Israel".
Criticising Israeli restrictions that disrupt movement within the West Bank
and Gaza, the MPs say: "It is hard to avoid the conclusion that there is a
deliberate Israeli strategy of putting the lives of ordinary Palestinians
under stress as part of a strategy of bringing the population to heel."
The committee, which is made up of Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat
MPs, says it is unfair for Israel to benefit from a trade agreement with the
EU while Palestinians, who are also part of the agreement, are prevented by
the Israeli restrictions from doing so.
"We therefore urge the UK government to propose to the EU council of trade
ministers that Israel's preferential terms of trade with the EU be suspended
until it lifts the movement restrictions which it has placed on Palestinian
trade," the MPs say.
Although the Belgian government threatened trade action against Israel two
years ago, it is unlikely that either the British government or the EU will
endorse the recommendation, both preferring to engage Israel in dialogue
rather than economic pressure.
Publication of such a critical report is unhelpful to Israel at a time when
it is on the defensive diplomatically, including a hearing at the
International Court in the Hague later this month over its security wall.
Tony Baldry, Conservative chairman of the committee, said: "Key measures,
such as the construction of a security barrier higher than the Berlin Wall,
may bring the mirage of immediate security to Israelis, but the level of
despair felt by ordinary Palestinians at being denied an ordinary life can
only increase the supply of suicide bombers."
The MPs called for the wall to be built on Israeli land rather than
Palestinian.
The committee took evidence in London and visited Israel and the occupied
territories last autumn. It is the most important British body yet to
recommend trade sanctions.
In the report, the MPs say that while there is no starvation or absolute
poverty in the Palestinian areas, there has been a serious decline in living
standards that has translated into malnutrition on the West Bank and Gaza as
bad as in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Palestinian economy and education system have suffered a sharp
deterioration as a result of the closure of its borders by the Israeli
military and restriction on movement within its borders.
While the MPs recognise Israel's security needs, the restrictions have had
humanitarian as well as economic consequences. One of the most emotive is
Palestinian ambulances being held up for long periods at checkpoints.
"The management of checkpoints is all too often handled by young,
inexperienced IDF [Israeli Defence Force] conscripts who may lack the
training and experience to deal with large numbers of people passing through
on their way to work or to study," the MPs say.
They criticise the extent to which Israel has control over Palestinian water
supplies, describing the "wilful destruction" of water infrastructure by the
IDF and settlers as "simply unacceptable".
The MPs' overall assessment is that Israel "seems to have adopted a
calibrated approach, using the Palestinian economy as a lever through which
it can exert pressure on the Palestinians".
The EU would suffer financially from a suspension of its trade agreement
with Israel. Between 2000 and 2002, the EU exported €44bn (£30.1bn) to
Israel, while Israel exported €28bn the other way.
K
-L'informazione uccidera' Golia (non mi riferisco alla caramella)-

The committee,
Cioe' che lascia il tempo che trova.
-Stefano