EU Parliamentarians Visit Israel to Strengthen Ties
The delegation is discussing security issues, the political situation and the threat from Iran during meetings with Israeli officials and lawmakers
Twelve members of the European Parliament, the European Union’s legislative body, are visiting Israel for meetings with Israeli officials and lawmakers. On Wednesday, the group met with President Isaac Herzog; a day earlier they met with members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
David Lega, a member of the European Parliament from Sweden’s Christian Democrats party, told The Media Line that the purpose of the visit is for members of the EU parliament to discuss issues and build networks.
“I wanted to come here to learn more about the security issues and current political status, to better handle Israel-EU relations in the future,” he said.
Lega is a member of the parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he’s in charge of relations with Iran, Yemen and Hizbullah, and serves on the Subcommittee on Human Rights.
David Lega, a member of the European Parliament from Sweden’s Christian Democrats party, said meeting with Israelis is the best way to learn about the threat from Iran. (Dario Sanchez/The Media Line)
The delegation will not be visiting the Palestinian territories nor speaking with any Palestinian officials during their visit. Lega says this is not part of their agenda.
“Israel-EU relations is what matters to me from that perspective. We have a lot to learn about Iran and there’s no better place to get knowledge on what a threat Iran is, not only to Israel but to Europe, than to actually come here and meet with Israelis,” he explained.
The delegation will be visiting Israel’s border with Lebanon on Thursday.
“We will discuss with the IDF the security issues on the border and see Hizbullah tunnels for ourselves. It is important to get that perspective and learn about the real threat firsthand,” Lega said.
He says what he learns from this trip will be reflected in EU policies in the future.
“People in Europe are starting to see more and more the threat from Iran; but also, when we are here, we can get the facts that we need to provide for plenary debate in order to make stronger resolutions in our work later,” Lega said.
Former prime minister of Estonia, Andrus Ansip, is looking forward to speaking directly with Israeli officials. (Dario Sanchez/The Media Line)
Former prime minister of Estonia, Andrus Ansip, also is taking part in the visit. Ansip, who is a member of the European Parliament, told The Media Line that he visited Israel for the first time in 1995. He said that the visit should provide an opportunity to speak directly to Israeli officials.
“When I was prime minister, Estonia always voted as Americans were voting, always supported the two-state solution,” he said of his term as head of state, April 2005 – March 2014. Because of this, Estonia always supported Israel.
Belgian journalist, human rights activist and politician Assita Kanko is another EU parliamentarian visiting Israel as part of the delegation. Kanko, who was born in the West African country Burkina Faso and became a Belgian citizen in 2008, says she wants to discuss women-related issues as well as human rights abuses.
“Personally, I’m very much interested in the right of the individual and the right of people to accomplish self-determination,” Kanko said.
“I have learned so much by listening to members of the Knesset, and officials in the government, she said, adding that she has been able to “learn and see with my own eyes what Israel is. It’s important to learn and speak to each other.”
European Parliament member Assita Kanko, a journalist, human rights activist and politician from Belgium, says the delegation’s visit will promote cooperation between the EU and Israel. (Dario Sanchez/The Media Line)
Kanko says visits such as this one will “enhance the cooperation between the EU and Israel,” and also lead to discussions about Middle East policy.
The delegation was invited by ELNET – European Leadership Network, a non-partisan, non-profit organization whose aim is to strengthen relations between Europe and Israel.
“The arrival of these respected members of the European Parliament is another significant step toward strengthening the vital relationship between Israel and Europe. The purpose of the delegation is to provide them with an in-depth understanding of the economic, security and civil conditions in Israel, in order to foster future collaborations and initiatives. I am confident that the tour will encourage us to advance our mutual interests further,” said Shai Bazak, CEO ELNET-Israel.
