7/17 Links Part 1: EU Round Up, Iranian Pres.Rouhani Backs Syria, EU Courts Dismantling Iran Sanctions

From Ian:

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Melanie Phillips: The baseless hatred of the EU towards Israel

News of the EU’s act of existential spite against Israel broke on the fast of Tisha b’Av, when Jews mourn the destruction of the Temple (you know, that Temple, the one that stood in Jerusalem all those centuries ago before any Arabs existed, let alone any Green Line) along with the seemingly never-ending list down through the ages of all those prosecuting their uniquely murderous and baseless hatred of the Jewish people.
Some coincidence. To that list of infamy, the EU can now add its name. For shame.

Missing Peace: New EU directive about Israeli settlements raises serious questions

Nevet Brasker of the Broader View Resource Center asked the EU the following questions
1. Does the latest European initiative mean that the EU has abandoned, officially or de facto, the Middle East Quartet effort? Borders were supposed to be a “final status” issue under the Quartet Roadmap, and last we heard—granted, it’s been a couple of years—Tony Blair, the Quartet envoy, was seeking proposals for border arrangements. Has the EU now explicitly abandoned this effort and unilaterally determined the borders of Israel?

When Europe demanded Israel surrender the Western Wall

As another official noted, the EU’s new policy is in effect demanding that Israel deny — in writing — any rights to the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, as a precondition for signing any agreement with the EU.
Ashton’s office tried to explain that the development was a positive one for Israel.

PA official: EU Judea and Samaria guidelines harm Palestinians

"For our part, we approached a number of [European] Union officials, in the [Palestinian] Authority and also in Israel, to try and prevent the decision or at least to keep it unofficial," said the official, who declined to give his name. "It's not just Israeli companies that are going to be hit economically, it's also going to be disastrous economically and socially for the Palestinian community."
According to the Palestinian official, the European move will freeze joint projects, force employers to stop hiring Palestinians to work on joint projects with Israelis and lead to widespread layoffs of Palestinians laborers working in Judea and Samaria industrial zones.

Senior Official: Israel’s EU Embassy Failed

Finance Minister Yair Lapid said that the controversial EU directive undermines the efforts of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to bring both parties to the peace negotiation table. According to Lapid, the EU move signals to the Palestinians that there is no diplomatic or economic cost to their continued refusal to return to negotiations, causing them to believe that Israel will have to give in to political and economic pressure.

ADL: PA Got ‘Free Pass’ From EU

ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman fired off a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Wednesday, stating, “President [Mahmoud] Abbas has blocked the [peace] process with his preconditions, so who does the EU pressure? Israel. Who gets a free pass? The Palestinians.”
Foxman called on the EU to end its “long-standing habit of not holding the Palestinian Authority responsible for its actions and inactions that are unequivocally obstacles to peace,” and reminded Ashton that in fact, risks to peace were an issue long before the establishment of communities in the region.

'Implement the Levi Report in Response to EU Boycott'

The Levi Report was commissioned by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, to examine the legal status of so-called "outposts" - nascent communities in the Judea-Samaria region. The committee was headed by former Israeli Supreme Court justice Edmund Levy, and found that - contrary to the claims of Israel's detractors - Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria is legal under international law.

'East Jerusalem is not a Palestinian territory'

The statement, signed by ZOA President Morton Klein, also noted that the neglect of eastern Jerusalem only ended under Israeli rule and after the unification of Jerusalem.
"Eastern Jerusalem was seemingly unimportant to Jordan because it failed to provide even the most basic municipal services there," Klein said. "Eastern Jerusalem’s residents lacked electricity, plumbing, health care services and even a steady water supply. It was Israel that began providing those badly needed municipal services to eastern Jerusalem, including to Arab homes and businesses."

Kerry’s New ‘Peace’ Brainstorm: Talk with Abbas without Israel

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry left Washington Monday with a new a brainstorm of meeting with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan to advance the dead and buried “peace process” while leaving Israel off the itinerary.
Kerry also will meet with officials of the Arab League, which has backed the 2002 Saudi Arabia plan to “normalize” relations with Israel as soon as the country simply transfers 600,000 Jews from their homes and turns over hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure over to the Palestinian Authority, along with all of land in Judea and Samaria and half of Jerusalem

Prosor to UN: Condemn the Mortar Fire from Syria

"Israel is an island of stability in a region steeped in violence, blood and destruction, and we expect that the Security Council will do everything in its power in order to maintain stability," Prosor wrote in his letter.
“Unequivocally condemn the firing,” he urged the Council. “The Syrian government systematically violates the separation of forces agreement, which could bring the region to instability."
Prosor noted that Israel had so far shown "maximum restraint" over the incidents, but it would "continue to exercise its right to self-defense."

Syrian gunmen hide in unmanned IDF post; Israeli patrol shot at

Two Syrian gunmen of unknown affiliation infiltrated an unmanned IDF military outpost in the southern Golan Heights in the demilitarized zone Tuesday night. Shots were then fired at an IDF patrol approaching the area.

Europe Fears “Jihad Tourism” as Radicalized Citizens Flock to Syria

European countries are rushing to head off what’s being labeled “jihad tourism,” as evidence emerges that radicalized Europeans are traveling to Syria to fight against the Bashar al-Assad regime. Officials are expressing concerns that their citizens will eventually come home as battle-hardened jihadists:

Syrian Kurds to declare autonomy from Damascus

The PYD’s declaration of autonomy came amid reports of intense clashes between the Kurdish group and the al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra in the northeastern city of Ras al-Ayn. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the clashes took place approximately 200 meters from the Turkish border crossing.

Iran’s Rouhani affirms support for Syria, Hezbollah

The official IRNA news agency on Tuesday cited Hasan Rouhani as saying close Iranian-Syrian ties will be able to confront “enemies in the region, especially the Zionist regime.” According to the semi-official Fars News, Rouhani “lauded the Syrian nation for its resistance against western plots” and said Syria will “overcome its current crisis.”

Rouhani says Netanyahu threats over nuclear program are laughable

“When some (the United States and Israel) say that all options are on the table and when a miserable regional country (Israel) says such things, it makes you laugh,” AFP quoted Rowhani as saying in an address to Iran-Iraq war veterans.
He added that Iranian warnings of retaliation to an attack had deterred Israel from carrying out any such strike on the Islamic Republic.

E.U. Courts Dismantling Iran Sanctions, “Dozens of Cases” Put International Regime at Risk of Unraveling

European Union courts are dismantling sanctions designed to stall Iran’s nuclear program at the behest of companies and individuals targeted by the sanctions. Courts are demanding that European governments provide information – much of it sensitive and classified – justifying the asset freezes, visa restrictions, and other measures imposed by the international community against Tehran. In the absence of such evidence, which European agencies have declined to provide lest they expose delicate sources and intelligence, several courts have ordered restrictions removed.