U.S. Jewish groups press E.U. on Middle East policy

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (JTA) — American Jewish officials are urging the European Union to take a more balanced approach to the Middle East peace process. In a meeting with a senior European Union official organized by B’nai B’rith, Jewish officials criticized what they say has been a “tilt” by the European Union over the years toward the Arab side of the conflict. Specifically, they took umbrage with a report recently released by European Commission Vice President Manuel Marin which demands that the 15-nation European Union take on a larger, more active role in the peace process. The 23-page document, approved by the European Commission — which serves as the E.U.’s highest decision-making body — blames Palestinian economic misfortune exclusively on measures that have been taken by Israel, particularly the closures it imposes on the self-rule areas after each terror attack. The European Union has been the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority, but the E.U. document speaks of “international donor fatigue” brought on by a lack of progress and warns that “regional cooperation and integration cannot make headway unless there is real progress toward a solution of the Arab- Israeli conflict.” Dan Mariaschin, director of B’nai B’rith’s Center for Public Policy, called the report “one example of many over the years of this insensitivity to the Israeli concerns,” noting that “the security concerns of Israel were given short shrift.” At last Friday’s meeting with Javier Prats, a senior aide to Marin, Jewish officials sought to explain why the European Union will find it difficult to attain greater political clout in Middle East peacemaking. “Some of the complaints they voice about being at the periphery of the process are self-inflicted,” said Jess Hordes, Washington director of the Anti-Defamation League, who also took part in the meeting. “If you don’t have credibility with both of the parties, you’re not going to be invited to the table to play the kind of role that you want to play.” Jewish officials said the meeting gave them an opportunity to convey their concerns to the European Union but conceded it did little to narrow the gap in their views. The meeting came just weeks after B’nai B’rith opened up an office in Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union. Mariaschin said B’nai B’rith intends to use that new channel to continue to make its views known about European involvement in the peace process.