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New group established to oppose the Lisbon Treaty
 national |
rights, freedoms and repression |
feature
 Friday June 19, 2009 00:43 by Sean Clinton - Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon chips at iol dot ie
We wish to announce the formation of IFPAL, Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon. We are a group of concerned citizens from all over Ireland who support the political and human rights of the Palestinian people, and believe that the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union is inherently inimical to those rights.
Related Links
Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon - www.ifpal.ie
In order to free up frontpage space, we have moved the "Related Links" for this story to THIS RELATED STORY as the same links are being used.
- One of IMC Ireland.
On the 16th June last year, four days after the defeat of the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland, EU foreign ministers (including Minister Michael Martin) agreed to upgrade relations with Israel despite the fact that in the previous five months Israel had killed 384 Palestinians including 60 children. Israel's actions were in blatant violation of the human rights clause of an EU-Israel trade agreement which affords Israel generous trading concessions with the EU - its largest export market.
In January this year Israel killed 1415 people including 314 children in Gaza and wounded and maimed over 5000 others. Israeli land, sea and air forces used weapons of mass destruction: white phosphorous, flechette (nail) bombs and dime bombs against defenceless, imprisoned and besieged civilians. Despite this the EU failed to take any action to sanction Israel and continues to promote diplomatic and economic relations with the rogue state.
Given the foregoing we believe that the EU's purported shared values as outlined in the Lisbon Treaty: human dignity; liberty; democracy; equality; the rule of law; and respect for human rights amount to nothing more than window dressing. The true values of the EU's ruling elite can be best be judged by their actions and inactions.
The EU has resisted repeated calls from civil society and from the European Parliament itself (twice in 2002) for the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement in view of Israel's flagrant and ongoing violation of its human rights clause. Nonetheless, the EU is considering further upgrading that status. We demand not alone that our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michael Martin, should oppose any such upgrade, but that on the contrary he should call for the suspension of the Association Agreement until such time as Israel complies with international law and international humanitarian law and ends its criminal policies against the Palestinian people.
Under the Nice Treaty which currently regulates EU affairs, the Irish government has a veto over foreign policy - even if, shamefully, it declines to avail of it. The Lisbon Treaty will facilitate the removal of this option. Irish policy on Israel/Palestine will, in practice be determined by the most powerful states in the EU, states like Germany, France and the UK which have played a disastrous role in enabling Israel to circumvent international law and international humanitarian law, and have expressed their determination to embrace Israel ever more closely despite its refusal to acknowledge the rights and the basic humanity of the Palestinian people. We believe that such policies ill accord with Ireland's traditional stance of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism, a stance strongly influenced by our own history.
We further believe that the combination of Foreign Policy with Security Policy, and their embodiment in a single EU "Foreign Minister", perpetuates a misguided linkage that tends toward the replacement of political by military solutions. Peace and justice in the Middle East requires an end to unconditional support for the Israeli rogue state, and a policy of unconditional negotiations with all parties including Hamas. We believe that such a policy was effective in the Northern Irish peace process, and that there is no excuse for its avoidance in the Middle East.
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Comments (14 of 14)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14A decision has been made on Lisbon by the people of Ireland - why the expense of asking again?
The reason we have to vote again is because we are not a democratic country. We are under the influence of an evil corrupt government that will stop at nothing to achieve their ends. Look at the treason in rossport, where state crime is flourishing.
Likewise the eu is no longer a democratic community, the political conmen have devised a scheme that will override the rights of the european people to decide policies and laws to govern ourselves. It's called the lisbon treaty.
Ireland were slaves to the british for 8 hundred years and they will now be slaves to the large country's in europe as well.
If we vote yes we will show our cowardice to them all
Failing to punish israel for the murders commited on trapped palestinian families shows that might matters more to the eu than justice.
How dare the Government already bankrupt go to the expense of another vote on the Lisbon Treaty.
How dare they also tell us to go back and change our votes to Yes.
How dare they stay in office when they could not run a play school never mind a country,.
I hope all those who voted NO will make sure to go out and do the same AGAIN and to try to convert their YES friends that this is the only way to go.
We are a democracy and should not be brainwashed by anyone to change our minds.
I believe that the issue of Palestine reveals the hollowness and hypocrisy of the assertions and assurances made by the EU, i.e. that it is a human-rights based entity that supports international law and the UN Charter. This is flagrantly contradicted by the consistent support for Israel that exposes the neo-imperialist direction in which the EU is moving, and that has consequences for EU foreign policy in general, and in particular towards the Arab/Islamic world. When in doubt about political bona fides, look at the policy on Palestine - it's an infallible measure!
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union will be made legally binding on the EU institutions and require all EU law to be compliant with human rights law.
Also the treaty will incorporate national parliaments into the EU legislative process, which will bridge national and European politics.
Since treaty itself is a revision of previous treaties and the actual text is in the form of amendments/additions to the previous EU treaties I don't see that voting no will alleviate any concerns regarding the current policies towards Israel and Palestine as that will just maintain the status quo.
The EU isn't perfect by any means but it is a broader forum than our little island and it's easier to make changes from the inside than the out. I think that this kind of international solidarity which the EU attempts and which is being replicated by Mercosur in Latin America, Asean in South East Asia and a number of African regional groups like SADC and ECOWAS constitutes a vital step forwards and I don't see how voting no will improve anything.
Voting for Lisbon would mean the European Court of Human Rights would no longer be the highest authority on human rights, and other considerations, such as economic issues, would be able to be taken into account in reaching judgements.
Add to that is the scary stuff about having to continiously "improve" our "military capabilities".
I am going to trust the democratic will of the people and go along with Eamon Gilmore when he said "The Lisbon Treaty is dead" (June 13th 2008)
Excerpt from Article Thirteen of the so-called Hamas Charta (1988):
[Translation as published by The Avalon Project (http://avalon.law.yale.edu/)]
Paul. as Afri activist, Andy Storey, puts it: "The fact remains that the EU is becoming more militarized under the Lisbon Treaty; common defence commitments are flagged, increased military spending is encouraged, the range of rationales and potential roles for EU overseas operations is extended, and the PSC (Permanent Structured Cooperation) provisions allow for EU operations to be undertaken by sub-groups of member states with the support of all members (including Ireland). That fundamental fact is unaltered by ‘assurances’ and opt-outs of doubtful legal status. And if this is not the kind of Europe we want, then the case for voting ‘no’ remains as a strong as before".
Fuck the Lisbon Treaty and the horse it rode into town on.
where can i download Kieran Allen's 'Reasons to Vote NO'
thx
I cannot wait to see what the reaction of both the EU and FF will be when (sorry IF) the lisbon no vote succeeds.
I can't wait to see what the reaction of the general public will be if we win with the VOTE NO and if the Green Foolish Farts try to deny us our victory.
But, I fear that the farmers might be the ones to defeat us combined with the scaremongering and more lies from this government.
Let the liars and crooks be tried, judged and sentenced with a BIG FAT NO!!
Roll on the Revolution!!
Right Turns Are For Turkeys, including Dustin!!
The bias of EU politicans who ignore the plight of Gilad Schalit the captured Israeli solider who Hamas refuse to let the Red Crescent see is awful.
So too is the growing support for talking to Hamas who persecute Gaza Christians and whose Charter calls for the destruction of Israel.The lack of criticism while rockets fired down on Israel.Hamas violent control of Gaza ,killing Fatah and no freedom of press is awful and the fact the EU gives Gaza money is blatant support for a terrorist group which wants to destroy Israel.
The Israeli death toll would have been much higher had it not been for closing all schools.Building houses with bomb shelters and the Sirens oh gd bless those sirens.
If Hamas had another desire other than to kill Jews the economy of the Gaza could have picked up.Fact is the aid has been robbed and the money sent to nice Accounts in the Swiss bank or to buy more rockets.
EU and UN promised not to allow Hizbollah to re arm and they are failing and they are going to do the exact same with Hamas.
As for the so called siege.Gaza boarders Egypt.There is an international boarder between Gaza and Israel ,Under International Law israel is not obliged to open that boarder,
So ask Egypt to open the boarder I am sure it will make smugling the Iranian rockets through Sudan and into Egypt and awful lot easier than having to use Sheep to drag them through tunnels.
And the EU has animal rights policy.The recent use of horses to attack Israeli boarder gaurds at the Gaza-Israel boarder is an awful mis use of such beautiful creatures.
I agree vote no to Lisbon as who wants a foreign policy that ignores Sudan.Burma,Iran and Sri Lanka and spends all its time Bashing Israel and gives aid to terrorists.
Thanks guys I will certainly vote no this time.
I agree with the above.
We do not seem to have a democracy. We the Irish people said NO to Lisbon as is our right. Yet it is back in our face again, with guarantees from who?
I would be worried for peoples' rights. The left socialists need to re-group and say NO to the Bullies.