Sunday, May 30, 2004

Israel declares Europe ‘non-relevant’

If you ignore your troubles, will they just go away? Israel seems to think so.
Earlier today, its High Court rejected a petition to stop Zvi Hefetz becoming the next Israeli Ambassador to Britain. We now can safely assume that the businessman, who has little diplomatic experience and a heavy Russian accent in English, will soon be on a London-bound plane to fill one of Israel’s most important diplomatic positions.
Through this bizarre appointment, Israel seems to be turning its nose up at even its best friends in Europe, as if to say, ‘we know you’re against us anyway, so we’re not going to bother communicating or engaging with you in any serious or professional manner. Hopefully, by ignoring you, you will just cease to exist as far as we are concerned.’
Well, of course they won’t – although it might feel good to pretend for a moment. If anything, Europe will become more and more relevant as Israel limits its ability to exercise damage-control.
By sending someone whose sole qualification for the ambassadorship seems to be that he is a friend of Omri Sharon’s, Israel has forfeited its right to complain that Europe is ‘against’ it.

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