Simone Veil, a former President of the European Parliament, warned yesterday of serious, steady deterioration of Israel’s image in European circles. Veil said most European parliamentarians now see Israel as “a colonial power” and are unaware of the history of Zionism and of Israel’s humanitarian philosophy.
Speaking at a seminar for Jewish intellectuals organized by the French branch of the World Jewish Congress, Veil said she has been observing this deterioration with “alarm and concern”. The situation has become “catastrophic” in recent months, she said.
According to Veil, this process started in June, 1980 with the Venice Declaration issued by the European Economic Community (EEC) member-states calling for the PLO’s “association” in future Middle East peace talks. Veil said that since then, Israel’s popularity has been on the wane and reached an all-time low with the war in Lebanon last summer. The European Parliament, elected by the EEC’s 10 member-states was traditionally known for its strong pro-Israel sentiments. Veil said that changed three years ago.
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