The relationship between the European Union (EU) and Israel is a very confusing one as of late. There are times when the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, are in agreement, and times when they are not.
In an example of disagreement, the Inquisitr reported that Mogherini supported the statehood of Palestine , something that Netanyahu doesn’t support. Now, the latest news is an example of agreement, as Federica Mogherini states that Hamas should remain on their terrorist list.
According to an exclusive report by the Times of Israel and followed up by blogs and specified news sites such as War Sclerotic and Second Coming Herald , Federica Mogherini made her intentions clear while speaking at a Hanukkah reception at the European Commission in Brussels. Mogherini said that people need to fight antisemitism, bringing up the Maccabees as a platform for understanding. After her remarks, Mogherini spoke directly to the director-general of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin. Her discussion revealed her worries about the European Union Court’s ruling to reverse the inclusion of Hamas on its list of terrorist organizations. Federica Mogherini also stated that the court’s decision would hurt the Jewish community.
Rabbi Menachem Margolin confirmed Federica Mogherini’s sentiment, as he explained the details of their conversation.
“I asked her if she actually saw the statement her spokesperson sent out in her name, and she said that not only did she see it, she initiated it. She said that we couldn’t do anything about it in advance, but that she knew it was a very sensitive decision than can hurt the Jews. She said it’s not a political decision and thus not in her hands.”
Federica Mogherini promised the EU would appeal the court’s decision, making sure Hamas will be blacklisted again. Still, many in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, have reacted in anger, and are calling for the EU to swiftly place Hamas back on the blacklist immediately. Benjamin Netanyahu even made a statement on the court’s decision, in which he accused the EU of naïveté and hypocrisy. Netanyahu even suggested that Europeans haven’t learned their lessons from the Holocaust, a horrific event that resulted in the deaths of six million out of nine million European Jews. Statistically, this meant that two out of three European Jews were killed.
Now that you’ve read Federica Mogherini’s views on the Hamas remaining on the terrorist blacklist, what are your views? Do you agree with Mogherini, or do you believe the Hamas isn’t a terrorist group?