Washington Post article on Herzliya Conference panel discussion

10 February 2011

Michael made a speech at the Herzliya defence conference on Tuesday 8 February as part of a panel discussion about the Middle East Peace Process and Europe’s relationship with Israel.  

The other participants on the panel included: the Vice Prime Minister of Israel, Silvan Shalom; the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Uri Rosenthal; and the former President of North-Rein Westphalen in Germany.

Jennifer Rubin has done a report of the event for the Washington Post -  read the full article below:

What's wrong with Europe?
By Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post

Here at Herzilya the chasm between Europe and Israel was highlighted. Thankfully, for those who support a safe and secure Israel, also evident was the degree to which Britain's mindset differs from that of its European allies. From the perspective of the German journalist and moderator, Josef Joffe, the problems started in 1967 and because of the "wars waged by Israel." Nary a mention was made of the anti-Semitism epidemic in Europe. And no hint of criticism of Israel's neighbors was voiced. There was zero recognition that the Muslim countries and groups dedicated to Israel's destruction might be at the root of the problem.

The vice prime minister of Israel, Silvan Shalom, was hearing none of this. He began with a compelling analysis of the prospects of democracy in the Middle East. Citing the Palestinian election in 2006 and the Bush administration's disastrous decision (opposed by many within the administration) to force Israel to include Hamas, Shalom made the argument that democracy is more than elections. Whether in Israel or Lebanon or Egypt, the acceptance of parties that do not accept democratic principles and do not renounce violence is a grave error. The challenge therefore is for Western democracies that share values and culture with Israel to work on the problem of Muslim countries that do not share their values. Shalom pointed out that Europe might be a more acceptable interlocutor in the Palestinian conflict if the Europeans did not reflexively take the Palestinians' position. And he implored the Europeans to focus on the real problem: their mutual threat from an aggressive Islamic regime in Iran.
The extent of the problem was then on full display. Uri Rosenthal, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, renounced Israel delegitimization efforts. However, he then began to lecture the Israelis, as a friend -- mind you -- that the Jewish state needed to be more "forthcoming" in negotiations and that, after all, Israel needs to understand that the settlements are illegal. Once again, the critiques flowed only one way. The rationale was perverse: Unless Israel starts coughing up concessions, enlightened fellows such as Rosenthal will be shouted down by Israel's critics back home. In sum, he proved Shalom's point: Europe is estranged from Israel in large part because Europe's approach to Israel has become cool if not adversarial. And by the way, he was mum on the news, revealed by NGO monitor, that his government provided a huge six-figure sum to Electronic Intifada, the website that spreads Islamic propaganda.

But, thank goodness Britain is not as bad as its continental brethren. Britain's shadow defense minister, Michael Dugher, was up next, arguing that the relationship, especially economically, is "strong." He argued that, more important, there are shared values between Britain and Israel. He made a compelling argument that with regard to Israel, there really isn't any difference among British political parties with regard to Israel. He nevertheless was candid enough to admit to anti-Israel sentiment on college universities and in the trade union movement. He denied that Palestinian groups in Britain have influence beyond a narrow segment of the country. And then, unlike the continental representatives, he took head-on the scourge of anti-Semitism in Britain, which he declared must be fought on "all levels." Even better, he chided the media for lack of balance, and indeed, its perpetual framing of a negative portrayal of Israel. He was candid enough to recognize the noxious role of fundamentalist Islamic groups in Britain that pose a direct threat to Israel.

Another German official (the equivalent of a governor) made a single positive contribution to the discussion: Israel is the Jewish state, and the Muslim countries must recognize it as such.

Well, the panel certainly highlighted that even among "friendly" European powers, Israel must struggle to combat the pro-Muslim perspective that, with the exception of Britain, is so pervasive that its proponents fail to recognize their own bias. Even more troubling is the degree to which continental European countries are blind to or are in denial about their indigenous anti-Semitism and the degree to which their own countries have been influence by Muslim populations and radicalized leftists who are profoundly anti-Israel.

Published on the Washington Post website on Tuesday 8 February 2011