EFL
Speaking to the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem, Peres said the United States and Europe could encourage the two sides to make peace. After a peace agreement is reached, he said, Israel and a Palestinian state could become members of the European Union and take part in the NATO Partnership for Peace program.
| "And we'll all live happily ever after!" |
He also said Jordan should be offered EU membership and that the new Jordanian-Palestinian-Israeli bloc could become "a modern Benelux."
| "We could import diamonds, and the Jordanians could make chocolate, and the Paleos could... ummm... What does Luxembourg do again?" |
"I see the new Middle East starting to come alive," Peres said, suggesting that the precedent of political change in Russia and China had positive implications for the Arab world, where reform has been slow. Peres said he had discussed the EU membership plan with former EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, and their reaction was "rather positive."
| But did he discuss it with Luxembourg? |
In his remarks, Peres did not address the potential problems for Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian EU membership. These include Israeli immigration law, which restricts the rights of non-Jews to settle in the country, and the large gap between EU requirements and Palestinian and Jordanian economic performance.
| What're the seething requirements? |
Israelis would object to the right of Palestinians living in Jordan and a Palestinian state to move to Israel -- which Palestinians have sought and which they could then do under the EU’s policy of free movement of people.
Slithering in through the back passage door, eh? |
Peres said Europe and the United States should seek to guarantee the borders agreed on between Israel and the Palestinians, to allay fears by Israel that Palestinians would continue to demand more territory, and Palestinian concerns that Israel would retake theirs. He also suggested a charter to fight terrorism. Peres said he had already talked to European leaders about the proposal, and there was some support.
Ladies and gentlemen, I announce the founding of Cloud Coo Coo Land. Coco Puff buffet from 8 to 11 for all patients residents. |