It was widely publicized earlier this month that the European Union lent the weight of its moral authority – now rapidly approaching zero – to the BDS movement against Israel by deciding to attach the label “Israeli Settlement” to any product from Israel made in the “occupied territories.”
Prof. Eugene Kontorovich of Northwestern University points out the discriminatory aspect of the EU’s policy. It “carves out a special legal rule for Israel,” he explains, “not only contradicting the EU’s own official position, but also going against rulings of European national courts and violating basic tenets of the World Trade Organization. It must be viewed as just one step in a broader, purposeful and gradual escalation of anti-Israel measures by the EU.” Kontorovich further warns that “diplomats in Brussels and NGOs have made clear that more coercive measures will follow.”
But let not the EU policy be the last word regarding Israel’s standing among the nations of the world. It is important that readers have a fuller, more accurate sense of Israel’s relations with other nations when weighing the moral gravity of the EU’s noxious initiative against the Jewish state.
• China and Israel recently signed an agreement in Jerusalem, following initial discussions in Beijing in August, to increase co-operation between the two countries in agricultural matters relating to joint research, commercial application and farming practices. For many years now, Chinese agricultural experts and governmental officials have trained or studied modern agronomic methods in Israel.
• Israeli farming methods and agro-technology appear to be taking root in India. For example, the recently opened Indo-Israel Centre for Excellence in Gharaunda, India, is part of an expanding network of learning centres that provide Israeli expertise in drip irrigation, fertilization and greenhouse growth methods to farmers and other local Indian experts. Some 20,000 Indian farmers visit the centres in the network each year. As a result of Israeli agricultural mentors sharing their knowledge with Indian protégés, the yield in new vegetables among these farmers has grown to about six million seedlings annually as compared to half a million seedlings four years ago.
The centres are part of the Indo-Israeli Agriculture Project, a joint initiative under the auspices of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. So far, 15 centres for vegetables and fruits have been established in nine Indian states. Dan Allof, counsellor at MASHAV (Israel’s agency for international development co-operation), said Israel “will set up centres [in 16 more states] in the third phase of the project between 2015 and 2018.” These centres also plan to focus on modern dairy management, post harvesting and sewage water treatment for reuse in agriculture.
• Israel21c.com carried an interesting story about six distinct devices developed in Israel that have become standard equipment for emergency crisis or disaster relief around the world. Among the life-saving devices listed in the story is an emergency bandage used to stanch bleeding from hemorrhagic wounds. Invented by a former Israeli military medic, it is now widely used in more than 50 countries. This is the bandage that Arizona medics used in 2011 to save the life of U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords after she was shot.
In a separate article, Israel21c reported on the locations around the globe where Israelis are currently working or have recently provided emergency relief to people in need. Disaster relief teams remain or have lately assisted in 22 locations, including the United States, Greece, Turkey, Philippines, Ethiopia, Vanuatu, Haiti, South Africa, Iraq and Gaza. Medical teams are currently in 20 countries, including Congo, Cameroon, Romania, Syria, Nepal, Iraq, Ethiopia, Taiwan and Peru. Environmental teams are in 10 countries, including Senegal, Ethiopia, Marshall Islands, Rwanda, Burundi, Turkey, Jordan, Senegal and Georgia. Psychological teams are in six countries. Educational teams are in Japan and Kenya.
One wonders how many humanitarian teams from, say, the EU, are currently providing emergency relief services around the world.