Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Did the Israeli Government Surrender to the EU?

Curt Here

Has the Israeli government already surrendered to the EU?  In an article from the Jerusalem post, this question is asked in reference to the latest financial agreement that Israel has agreed to with the EU. This agreement is called Event Horizon 2020.

From the Jerusalem Post article...Lawmakers on Monday debated whether or not Israel gave in to the European Union’s guidelines on settlements during a celebratory meeting in honor of joining Horizon 2020, the EU’s Framework Program for Research and Innovation.

“The debate with the EU puts Israel at a critical juncture in relation to diplomatic plans, and a decision has to be made about priorities: Judea and Samaria or joining the world economy,” Knesset Science and Technology Committee chairman Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) said.


So what is Event Horizon 2020?  From their website..Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.



So this new research and innovation program started in January of this year and lasts until 2020, or for seven years.  It turns out that Israel, after long negotiations with the EU finally agreed to sign up. The major hangup in the negotiations was that the EU demanded that Israel not allow any money or loans from Event Horizon 2020 to find its way into Judea, Samaria or East Jerusalem.  Hmmmm.  Link below from an article on the day the agreement went public, with a couple of highlights from the article below.

...What this seems to mean is that Israeli companies or organizations that do business in the territories and want loans from the EU would have to set up a system to ensure that any money it gets from the EU would be invested solely within the Green Line.

The European Commission's guidelines regarding EU funding of entities in the West Bank settlements prohibit funds and agencies from giving grants, scholarships or prizes to Israeli entities in the settlements or to activities in the settlements. In some cases, the guidelines forbid giving loans to Israeli entities that operate directly or indirectly beyond the 1967 lines.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.560501

One more thing, would you be surprised if Event Horizon 2020 is just an extension of latest ENP agreement 2014-2020?   Well you shouldn't. Guess what showed up on the official EU ENP website on the day the agreement was announced.

From the ENP website..The EU and Israel have reached an agreement on “outstanding issues related to Israel's participation in EU Horizon 2020 Programme”, according to a joint statement issued yesterday by EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton and Israeli Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni.
“The agreement fully respects the EU's legal and financial requirements while at the same time respecting Israel's political sensitivities and preserving its principled positions,” says the statement, emphasising that the agreement takes full account of these constraints.
The agreement will allow Israel's scientific community to benefit from one of the most important EU programmes and facilitate its further integration into the European space of research and innovation. This agreement will pave the way for Israel's participation in other EU programmes to be launched from 1 January 2014. (EU Neighbourhood Info)

You can view it here..http://www.enpi-info.eu/medportal/news/latest/35328/EU-and-Israel-reach-agreement-on-Israel%E2%80%99s-participation-in-Horizon-2020

As it turns out the latest renewed ENP (2014-2020) is the funding and guiding source for Event Horizon 2020.  From the Event Horizon website...The ENPI Horizon 2020 Capacity Building/Mediterranean Environment Programme (H2020 CB/MEP) aims to support the implementation of the Horizon 2020 Initiative Road Map and Work Plan through capacity building and awareness raising activities, and to promote integration/mainstreaming of environment issues into other sector policies.
It is also responsible for the proper coordination of the H2020 Steering Group and the three Sub-Groups and the overall enhanced visibility of Horizon 2020.
You can view it here...http://www.h2020.net/en/capacity-building/the-project-enpi-cb-mep.html

With these agreements now in place has Israel sold out the areas of Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem? Could this in combination with the current US led peace process lead to the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy?

Stay Tuned

Curt