EJC: EU should nix endorsement of Goldstone Report

European Jewish Congress president asks Hungarian PM to act in light of Goldstone's recent op-ed; move comes as European Jews meet.

By JONAH MANDEL
EJC President Moshe Kantor 311 (R) (photo credit: Reuters)
EJC President Moshe Kantor 311 (R)
(photo credit: Reuters)
President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC) Moshe Kantor asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a Sunday meeting to have the European Parliament retract its endorsement of the Goldstone Report, after Justice Richard Goldstone’s recent change of heart regarding his findings on Operation Cast Lead.
Orban, who is currently president of the Council of the European Union, was also asked by Kantor to push for an upgrade of EU-Israeli relations, which were suspended following the EU Parliament’s endorsement of the Goldstone Report.
RELATED:Goldstone opinion piece changes nothing at UNUS Jewish groups urge Goldstone to retract reportPM to ministries: Take steps to 'cancel' Goldstone Report
“Goldstone’s revelations regarding his conclusions being incorrect should prompt European leaders for a timely and appropriate course-correction with respect to European-Israeli relations.” Kantor said.
The Sunday meeting took place against the backdrop of the EJC’s General Assembly, where dozens of leaders of Jewish communities from across Europe discussed the burning issues affecting their communities, such as the legal status of ritual slaughtering (shehita) in the continent, anti-Semitism, demography shifts, the uprisings in the Arab world, which are changing the demographic balance in Europe, and the Iranian nuclear threat.
The GA called in its resolutions for an investigation into the funding of NGOs in the Middle East, and to ensure that EU resources are not used to contribute to the spreading of hate and violence in the region.
Another resolution called upon the EU governments and EU commission to adopt a law that prohibits boycotts of any democratic country, similar to the existing French law from 1977 to that effect. The GA also condemned the recent decision by the government of Poland not to carry out its restitution commitments to Jewish victims of World War II by passing relevant legislation.
“We are witnessing dramatic changes in the world, in which uncertainty and instability is prevailing,” Kantor said.
“Europe needs to be prepared for these changes and enunciate a policy of what I call Secured Tolerance. Europe needs to exercise tolerance, but bolster this tolerance with the security of basic rights, that of freedom and life.”