To cut off its own nose to spite its face, Israel is going to retaliate against the EU mini-boycott. That’s what I’m reading here. The plan is to keep EU aid groups out of the West Bank and Gaza. I’m sure that this is, indeed, a desperate sign that the powers that be here are very worried about the beginning of the turning of the economic screws on it. This particular reaction on the part of the government makes this place look shitty and small, not serious.
You can’t comment on this unless you understand the internal politics of the EU. The “boycott” was a bone to Left coalition partners (lib dems in UK, etc), no one in Europe is taking it seriously. They badly overstepped their boundary, their report was unreadable–even the grammar sucked–and are backtracking like crazy. So now Israel has upper-hand, and they are forcing it.
maybe you’re right, and maybe you’re wrong, Raymond. but there are plenty of people here who take this to be a worrisome first sign of possible things to come. and then there are those who, like you, don’t think it’s a big deal. they tend to be more conservative, politically, and more confident in the status quo. i guess we’ll all see what happens next, one way or the other.
Fair enough! To be precise, I’m not a supporter of the Israeli settlement status quo–it’s suicidal and dysfunctional. I’m just also aware the Brussels sets the gold-standard in dysfunctionality.
yes yes and fair enough, and not a bad model for international relations, one dysfunctional unit setting itself up vis-a-vis other dysfunctional unit. thanks for the critical pushback, Raymond.