Sant says Israel must make 'major concessions' for peace to be achieved

As the dominant side, Israel must be ready to make concessions on major make-or-break issues if peace is to be acieved in the unstable region, Labour MEP said.

“The make-or-break issue now is the spread of Jewish settlements with the full connivance of the government,” Sant said. “Since the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, successive Israeli governments have demonstrated neither political will nor good faith in dealing with make-or-break issues. Unless this changes, both sides are condemned to keep living their epiphany of hate and despair.”

He was speaking at the European Parliament during a discussion focused on whether all political parties within the EP can agree on a common approach for the European Union’s 28 member states regarding the recognition of a Palestinian state.

“Europeans, Americans, Russians and jihadists cannot bring peace to the unstable region of Israel and Palestine. Only the Israelis and Palestinians can make peace happen,” Sant said, while warning that developments in the area are having a powerful impact on the world.

“ On the one hand there is despair and deep rage, and on the other there is a determination to maintain at all costs full control over Palestine,” Sant said.

He condemned the recent Palestinian attacks on Jewish worshippers but said that such condemnation must be balanced with disapproval of Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.

The President of the European Social Democrats Gianni Pittella said that she agreed with Sant’s line of thought and condemned the spread of Israeli settlements. A vote on whether the EU should unilaterally recognize Palestine as a state has been postponed to December.