5 Former European foreign ministers accuse Israel of being 'apartheid state'

By Umit Donmez

PARIS (AA) - In an open letter, five former European ministers labeled Israel's policies against Palestinians as "the crime of apartheid."

"We see no alternative but to acknowledge that Israel’s policies and practices against the Palestinians amount to the crime of apartheid," they said in a letter published by French daily Le Monde on Thursday.

The letter was signed by former Foreign Minister of Denmark Mogens Lykketoft, former Foreign Minister of Finland Erkki Sakari Tuomioja, former Foreign Minister of Slovenia Ivo Vajgl, former Foreign Minister of France Hubert Vedrine and British Cabinet Minister Sayeeda Warsi.

The ministers criticized the silence of the international community, which "failed to act in the face of serious violations of international law" when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"As the world is watching in horror events unfolding in Ukraine, conversation around the urgency of protecting a rules-based global order is dominating political and public discourse. The international community has rallied behind multilateralism and the need to adhere to international law and protect human rights. Indeed, it is the only way forward in an increasingly polarized global landscape," they said in the letter.

"At the same time, we are reminded how the international community has too often remained silent and failed to act in the face of grave violations of international law and impunity for serious abuses in other contexts," the letter added, while also stressing the importance of "applying principles uniformly and consistently."

"The same standards and commitment to protecting Ukrainian civilian population and demanding accountability for Russia’s international law violations should be applied globally, including to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," it continued.

The former ministers reminded the EU member states of their two-state solution approach based on sovereignty and equality for both Israelis and Palestinians.

"Yet the reality on the ground in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory is moving in the complete opposite direction. And our inaction could have wide-reaching implications in the region as well as for the validity and efficacy of European diplomacy globally," they added.