Jewish Labor Committee Supports Kerry Peace Initiative, Opposes European Union's New Guidelines
June 19, 2013: New York, NY - Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Jewish Labor Committee, issued the following statement today:
With the tentative agreement that has just been announced, it appears that talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians may resume for the first time since 2010. The Jewish Labor Committee welcomes this progress and commends U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for his commitment to bringing this about, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to returning to the bargaining table. While clearly there are still differences, these can be resolved only if the two sides sit down together to negotiate.
One development that that could have undermined the tentative agreement, however, was the European Union's announcement that it will ban financing of and cooperation with Israeli institutions in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. The new guidelines say that agreements providing research grants, scholarships and cultural exchanges must state explicitly that they apply only to Israel's pre-1967 borders.
The announcement, particularly coming at this delicate time, could have served to harden stances on both sides. Israelis reacted by reiterating their position that there should be no per-conditions for talks, and many feel that this constitutes undue economic and political pressure. Moreover, the pressure is only on one side, with none exerted on the Palestinians to return to the bargaining table, and in fact could have undermined efforts to convince them to negotiate.
We hope that both Israelis and Palestinians return to the bargaining table with a seriousness that includes a willingness to be flexible and to make fair compromises that lead to a two-state solution that benefits both the Israeli and Palestinian people.