The European Union (EU) has just released new regulations governing certain dealings with Israel.

Starting in 2014, the EU (as a unit, individual states are not governed by these guidelines) will prohibit any dealings with private Israeli entities that live or operate in Judea and Samaria, what is otherwise known as the West Bank. The idea is to make a distinction to show Europe’s seriousness about considering Israel’s “occupation” to be in violation of international law.

One side of the street, “good Jews;” the other side “maniacal fanatics.”

2) It makes them feel good but who will they hurt?

Sodastream, an Israeli company with factories in the West Bank, could be impacted by these regulations.

The media put forward all charges of Israel committing war crimes. Take the Mavi Marmara incident. How many articles did you read about whether or not Israel committed war crimes against the passengers (those beacons of peaceful protest that only recently repeated their commitment to destroying Israel)?

Take a look at what Britain’s foreign minister had to say about the deliberate targeting of a school bus.

Earlier, British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the anti-tank missile attack on a childrens’ school bus in the Negev, calling it a “despicable” and “cowardly” act.

“I unreservedly condemn today’s attack from Gaza on a bus carrying school children in southern Israel. The initial reports we have received suggest the bus was deliberately targeted and that a 16-year-old boy has been critically injured,” Hague said.

“This is a despicable and cowardly act that stands in stark contrast to people’s desire for peaceful reform across the region. Violence will never deliver peace,” Hague continued.

Only a week ago, Hague’s office released a report on the world’s 26 worst human rights violators. Israel was in the report, along with 25 actual human rights abusers. If, as Hague says above, he has reports that Hamas deliberately targeted the school bus (which it did), then this is not a “despicable and cowardly act.” It is a human rights violation. It is a war crime. And yet, Hague doesn’t use that language to describe it. Why is that? Why is it that his office can slander Israel as a violator of Palestinian human rights, but it can’t call a war crime a war crime? The deliberate targeting of civilians is a war crime. Hamas deliberately targeted a school bus full of children (it hoped).

Don’t hold your breath waiting to hear Hague condemn Hamas war crimes. He’s too busy accusing Israel of them. As for the EU, well, there isn’t even a mention of Hamas in Catherine Ashton’s rote condemnation of “violence.” It’s as if the rockets launched themselves. And mention of a school bus? Surely you jest.

“I strongly condemn yesterday’s mortar and rocket attacks out of the Gaza strip, which once again hit the innocent civilian population and which must stop immediately,” she said.

“I am deeply concerned by the current escalation of violence,” the 27-nation EU’s foreign policy chief said in a statement.

“I also deplore the loss of civilian life in Gaza and call on Israel to show restraint.

No, the label of war crimes is never attached to actual war crimes perpetrated by Palestinians against Israelis. That label is reserved for Israel only, especially when Israel is doing no such thing.

We must once again call on a refrain we got too tired to use recently. What time is it? That’s right, it’s Israeli Double Standard Time. But don’t worry. It only occurs on days that end with a “y.”

So now, excuse me while I point out the height of hypocrisy of this statement by the European Union:

Asked to comment on Netanyahu’s call for the Palestinian leadership to recognise Israel as the national state of the Jewish people, a spokeswoman for EU diplomatic chief Catherine Ashton said: “We support the two democratic states living side by side in peace and security.

“We also stress that the future states of Palestine and Israel will need to fully guarantee equality to all their citizens,” she added.

“Basically in the case of Israel this means whether they are Jewish or not,” said spokeswoman Maja Kocijancik.

This is in response to Bibi Netanyahu stating that the Palestinians need to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

Of course that’s too much for Europeans to stomach. They’ve spent over 2,000 years trying to eradicate the Jewish people. Why would they suddenly change their minds, just because a few decades ago, they felt a bit of shame over murdering two-thirds of world Jewry?

Can you say “hypocrites”? I knew you could. I can say a lot of other things, but I decided not to swear (much) on this blog.

During his weekly lesson, held at the synagogue near his house in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har-Nof, the rabbi mentioned the blessing said at the Rosh Hashana feast that says, “May our enemies and adversaries be destroyed”, and applied it to the current situation. “Abu Mazen (Abbas) and all those evil men – may they perish from this world. May God Almighty strike them and these Palestinians.”

Hm. He was calling for God to strike down the enemies of Israel. And the State Department responded thusly:

We regret and condemn the inflammatory statements by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. We note the Israeli statement that the Rabbi’s comments do not reflect the views of the Prime Minister. These remarks are not only deeply offensive, but incitement such as this hurts the cause of peace. As we move forward to relaunch peace negotiations, it is important that actions by people on all sides help to advance our effort, not hinder it.

Now let’s see what the State Departmen had to say about the Hamas terror attack:

US cognizant that there could be external events that can have an impact on the environment/US also cognizant that there may well be actors in the region who are deliberately making these kinds of attacks in order to try to sabotage the process/US aware that not everyone sees this in the same way/US believes that the leaders understand that the moment is now, we think an agreement is achievable

Hm. A rabbi uses Biblical terms to describe Israel’s enemies, and the State Dept. goes into full condemnation mode. Terrorists attack and murder four civilians, and the State Dept. recogiizes that terror attacks may happen. In the first case, State issued a release on the rabbi’s words. In the second case, State merely issued notes of the daily briefing. Obviously, the State Dept. felt those are two totally appropriate reactions. Of course they did. Hillary Clinton did, after all, give Benjamin Netanyahu a 43-minute dressing-down for something that wasn’t even his fault last year.

But wait! Catherine Ashton, High Muckety-Muck of the EU, also condemned the attack:

“I strongly condemn the terrorist attack that has killed four Israeli civilians near the city of Hebron,” Ashton, who is currently in China for high-level strategic talks, said in a statement.

“With this unacceptable attack, the enemies of peace have tried to derail the Middle East peace talks. But we are determined not to let these enemies of peace have their way.”

Ah. She is determined not to let the murder of Jews stop the EU from pressuring Israel to make peace. Say, let’s take a look at the release that Ashton sent out after the latest round of terrorist bombings in Iraq:

“Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is deeply saddened by the explosions and continuing acts of violence in Iraq and the High Representative expresses her deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims, and to the Iraqi Authorities.

The European Union condemns these attacks. The majority of the victims of these terrorist attacks were devoted to building Iraqâ€s security. HR Ashton wishes to reiterate once again the urgent need to form a stable government in Iraq which is able to take decisive steps towards national reconciliation and to deal with all challenges confronting the country. The European Union looks forward to engaging with this new government as soon as it is in place.”

Interesting. She extends her deepest condolences to Iraqi victims of terrorism, but nothing for Israeli victims of the same.

France managed to issue a full-blown condemnation. So did Tony Blair.

“I condemn unequivocally the shooting attack in which four Israelis were killed today and extend my condolences to the families of those killed,” Blair said Tuesday. “This shocking act was obviously intended to damage the launch of negotiations, but we must not allow extremists to derail the process.”

The Palestinians? Well, there were the usual mealy-mouthed “condemnations” that were then translated by the media as real ones. Even Robert Gibbs passed along the spin that Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack. Here’s the “condemnation”:

Abbas said the shooting attack in Hebron was meant to “impede the diplomatic process,” stressing that the Palestinian Authority “objects to attacks on civilians from both sides – Israeli or Palestinian.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah—the old moral equivalence condemnation. Terrorists killing civilians are just the same as civilians being killed because terrorists are shooting mortars from their backyards.

To sum up: A terror attack on Israelis? Not an obstacle to peace. No need for State to issue a strong condemnation of the murder of four civilians. It’s just another attempt by the non-peacenik crowd to sabotate the peace talks. Ho-hum.

Building in Jerusalem? Words by a 90-year-old rabbi during a Torah discussion? Condemnations! Incitement! Obstacles to peace!

This the world of Israeli Double Standard Time. But not to worry. It only occurs on days that end with a “y”.

Israel on Tuesday criticized a proposed statement by the European Union recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state — part of the country’s growing resistance to efforts to pressure it into reaching a peace deal with the Palestinians in the absence of direct, U.S.-sponsored talks.

The article also acknowledges:

Although Europe has long acknowledged Palestinian claims on Jerusalem — and, like the United States and others, does not recognize Israel’s annexation of the city’s Arab neighborhoods after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war — a direct call for a division of the city would take that policy a step further, according to European and Israeli officials.

The draft text does not include reference to any part of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and was condemned by Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor as “very harmful.” The statement “will not help to promote the peace process,” Palmor said. “It will only make the European Union’s position more marginal and less influential.”

(emphasis mine)

This is the EU’s policy on Jerusalem:

The EU policy on Jerusalem is based on the principles set out in the UN Security Council Resolution 242 , notably the impossibility of acquisition of territory by force. The EU opposes measures which would prejudge the outcome of the Permanent Status Negotiations, consigned to the third phase of the Road Map, such as actions aimed at changing the Palestinian character of East Jerusalem.

The economic and social development of East Jerusalem has seriously been affected by its exclusion from the Palestinian Authority’s development scheme laid out in the Oslo Accords and by the second Intifada, during which East Jerusalem has been effectively cut off from Palestinian communities and institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Of course, as with the UN the EU’s position effectively endorses the acquisition of territory by force – as long as it involves displacing Jews. For example, here’s a comparison between how Jordan in 1949 (in violation of the armistice agreement) and Israel in 1967 treated holy sites.

Jordan destroyed ancient synagogues in the Old City’s Jewish quarter:

• From the period of 1948 to 1967, Jordan demolished 58 synagogues in Jerusalem’s Old City.

• All but one of the ancient synagogues in the Old City were demolished and ravaged during this time by the Jordanians.

Jews had absolutely no access to the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site:

• On April 3, 1949, Israel and Jordan signed an Armistice Agreement. One of the conditions of the GAA was that a special committee would be formed to make arrangements for safe movement of traffic between Jerusalem and the Mount Scopus campus of Hebrew University, as well as free access to Holy Places. The Jordanians, by denying access to Jews to enter the Old City and Judaism’s holiest sites, directly violated the GAA.

• Under the Jordanian control of East Jerusalem, Jews were denied access to the Western Wall and Temple Mount. Likewise, in Hebron, Jews were not allowed to enter the Tomb of the Patriarchs and other holy places in Bethlehem.

• Similarly, during Jordanian rule (and eventual annexation) of the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem from 1948 to 1967, Israeli Christians and Muslims were also barred from their own respective Holy Places.

Muslim waqf now controls workings of Temple Mount with important mosques, not Israelis:

• As a result of the Six Day War in 1967, Israel recovered the Old City and the entire Jordanian-held territory west of the Jordan River.

• Almost instantaneously, 19-year-old barriers once separating Jerusalem were removed so that all peoples of all religions could be allowed access to their holiest sites.

• To assure that any member of a respective religion will no longer be denied access to their holiest sites, the Knesset passed a law on June 27, 1967, guaranteeing free access to everyone and determining punishment for the desecration or denial of entry.

• From 1967 onward, the Muslim Waqf Administration is responsible for the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and all other mosques within Jerusalem.

o On several occasions, those praying at al-Aqsa then began pelting the Jews praying below at the Western Wall with stones and bricks.

o As a result, when tensions are high, Israel is occasionally forced to limit temporarily the age of those entering the Temple Mount compound for Friday prayers.

• As for other communities, Christians are placed in charge of administering their own holy sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Ministry of Religious Affairs of Israel is in charge of the Western Wall and other Jewish holy sites.

Much of Arab East Jerusalem is Arab because the Jordanians removed the Jews from those areas by force. The EU’s position is to validate that.

But that’s not the only hypocrisy in play here. Elder of Ziyon observes:

Isn’t it interesting that the same people who keep telling Israel that the separation fence is as awful as the Berlin Wall are insisting that Jerusalem be cut in half…just like Berlin was?

Treppenwitz sees a silver lining in an approach that even alienates Tzipi Livni.

Personally, I couldn’t possible care less what the world wants Israel to do. If we’ve learned only one thing during the short history of our country, it is that we are the only ones who will ever have our best interest at heart.

But more importantly, I honestly feel that the only thing that has a prayer of unifying the Jewish people (or at least unifying those living in Israel) is for nearly all of us to be labeled illegitimate by the international community.

Do you remember that climactic scene near the end of ‘Spartacus’ where the recaptured rebel slaves are asked to identify Spartacus in return for leniency? In a show of unity, they all began shouting “I am Spartacus!”… even though they knew it might very well cost them their lives?

Well, I have a fantasy about the world finally showing some honesty about their hate of Israel and demanding that Israel return to the Partition Plan borders in order to appease the ‘downtrodden’ Arabs.

And when that happens, people from Kiryat Gat, Ramle, Beer Sheva, Ashdod, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Modi’in, Nahariya, Ashqelon, Afula, Beit She’an, and other vibrant, thriving Israeli cities, will rise up with one voice and shout, “I am from Gilo!… and my legitimacy is not a question for my enemies and their supporters to decide!”

As the world’s antipathy to Israel continues to be manifest by its double standards and distortions, is he right? Are we reaching a point where international enmity will encourage unity in Israel?

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.

Israeli and Belgian lawyers acting for Eyal Katorza, who is also a French citizen, are preparing a legal case demanding that the EU does more to protect the 300,000 Europeans living in Israel.

Legal documents, seen by The Daily Telegraph, have accused the EU of indirectly funding Palestinian terrorism because of a failure to “prevent the misuse of European funds by non-profit organisations which use these funds to finance terrorism”.

Really, you just can’t get much more shadenfreude out of an issue. Israelis are turning around and doing the same thing to the EU that the Palestinians have done to them. Except there seems to be an actual basis in law for this suit.

Mr Katorza has demanded EU “reparations for lost job income, reparations for physical and psychological damages, reparations for property damages, monies for reinforced buildings against missiles or any other military projectiles”.

The dual French-Israeli citizen, from Sderot in Israel’s Negev region, has lost his job and family business because of Qassam rocket attacks launched from the Gaza strip by Hamas.

His lawyers have cited clauses in the EU Treaties that offer protection to Europeans even while they are living abroad.

Even better, they’re looking to make it a class-action suit. Next up: Someone should sue UNRWA and the UN.