European Union, pro-Hamas, anti-Israel?

Israel has refused to pay Hamas the taxes and customs monies and the United States has refused to continue funding the Palestinian Authority; however, the EU says "Israel should release customs duties of 60 million euros ($72 million) per month to the Palestinian Authority's interim government".

"It would be important that the Israelis are paying out what is actually Palestinian money -- the customs duties," the European Commission's Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in an interview with Austria's daily newspaper Der Standard. source

And just why does the EU think Israel should pay Hamas? According to Captains Quarters the EU still wants Israel to follow the Oslo agreement

The tax transfers came as part of the Oslo agreement as a way to boost the economic resources of the Palestinians so that they could move towards a two-state settlement and peacefully exist with Israel. However, two intifadas and an election of Hamas to government later, the Oslo accords are a dead letter, and the tax transfers should have died with them.

The EU has said that they "would not continue payments to the Palestinian Authority once Hamas takes it over, unless Hamas committed to recognize Israel, renounce violence, and honor past agreements between Israel and the Authority." source

That argument might hold water if the Palestinians had been following their requirements under that same Oslo agreement, which they have not. As one comment at Captains Quarters put it, "Oh, I get it. I pay you to buy a gun to shoot me in the head." It really does sound that silly.

Natan Sharansky in his article "Does democracy end tyranny?" asks the question "Is it simply too dangerous to promote freedom in the Arab world?" He says:

Today, many people believe that the antidote to fanaticism is to open these societies to dissent, to the free exchange of ideas, to the opportunities offered by a free market and to the hope that comes with democratic life. ... ...although elections are part of the democratic process, they are never a substitute for it. ... I believed this when I submitted a plan to Ariel Sharon in April 2002 for a political process that would culminate in the creation of a peaceful, democratic Palestinian state alongside Israel. ... The only "right" that seemed to be upheld within Palestinian areas was the right of everyone to bear arms. ... The recent election of Hamas is the fruit of a policy that focused on the form of democracy (elections) rather than its substance (building and protecting a free society). ... Any regime, elected or not, that works to build a free society should be seen as a partner, if not a friend. Likewise, any regime, elected or not, that chokes freedom should be seen as an adversary, if not an enemy. Obviously, any regime that supports terrorism is hostile to the most fundamental principles of a free society and should therefore be treated as an enemy. ... We can help them [democrats within these societies] by refusing to support those who repress them, and by making clear through both our statements and our policies that the efforts to expand freedom within their societies will benefit their countries as much as ours. source

Israelis do not understand why the world seems to be more interested in the Hamas/Palestine than in Israel. They don't understand why it seems that Israel must make all the concessions and the Palestinians can continue their suicide bombings and terrorism. I wonder too. Fern Sidman, who comments on this site, Right Truth, often and is the former head of the Jewish Defense League says:

We have nightmares about this "Roadmap to Peace" leading to our national "Roadmap to Death". ... We pray that his Kadima party, which is slated to garner a majority of seats in the next Knesset election, disavow it's policies of relinquishing G-d given land to the Arab enemy. We pray that Sharon and his Kadima party reverse it's policies of forced secularization of the State of Israel. We pray that Sharon and his comrades recognize the G-d of Israel and have the courage to divorce themselves from corruption and endless scandal. source

Ariel Sharon is still in a coma and will never be able to return to political office.

I say to Israel, "Keep the taxes and customs until the Palestinians live up to their part of Oslo and ALL other agreements." If they do not comply, then follow Captains Quarters suggestion: "Israel should put the money in escrow to fund rebuilding projects and compensation for victims of Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians. Anything left over can go towards building the wall in the West Bank.