Israel wins, Palestinians lose, EU fails

The two-day Euromed conference ended here yesterday with a diplomatic victory for Israel, a defeat for the Palestinians and failure for the European Union.

Israel achieved a long-held goal: the virtual renunciation by the EU of a meaningful role in the Israeli-Palestinian "peace process". "The Europeans themselves say they are not seeking a totally independent role," Mr Schlomo Ben-Ami, Israel's Foreign Minister, said. "They say they accept the centrality of the American role in the Middle East peace process. It was acknowledged by [the French] Foreign Minister, [Mr Hubert] Vedrine."

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said the ministers who met in Marseilles felt "a sense of moral defeat" over the continuing violence in the Israeli-occupied territories. And well they might. During the two-day conference, eight more Palestinians and a German citizen were killed, bringing the total to 229 lives in seven weeks.

"There is a recognition [by EU governments] of the fundamental role of the US," Mr Cowen said.

Europe's role had been "humanitarian and economic". Europe had been right to criticise Israel in the past, "but that historic condemnatory role has not brought greater involvement".

In his concluding remarks, Mr Vedrine supported Mr Ben-Ami's contention that implementation of the Sharm al-Sheikh agreement, concluded in September, was the most immediate and crucial step needed.

Mr Ben-Ami insisted that the Palestinian leader, Mr Yasser Arafat, publicly call on his people to stop protesting against Israeli occupation, as required by the accord, and rearrest Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants.

The Arabs in general and the Palestinians in particular failed in their attempt to focus the Europeans' attention on the fundamental injustice of the Israeli occupation, and the need to return to United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, which demand that Israel leave the West Bank and Gaza.

Mr Nabil Shaath, the Palestinians' Foreign Minister, complained bitterly that Israel did not allow three members of his delegation to travel to Marseilles, in violation of the spirit of the 1995 Barcelona declaration, which advocated freedom of movement. Mr Shaath also insisted that "242 must be clearly implemented and accepted by the Israelis".

When he was asked why Israel did not obey resolution 242, Mr Ben-Ami said the text - which speaks of the unacceptability of acquiring territory by force - allowed for "flexibility" and was negotiable.