Friday 24 July 2009

European researcher: the Gaza war shocked Europe


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[ 24/07/2009 - 02:55 PM ]

HAMBURG, (PIC)-- A European researcher said that the Israeli war on Gaza which began late last year was a great shock to the Europeans and has resulted in changing the way Europeans view the Palestinian issue.

Dr. Margaret Johansson of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg said in an interview with the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Thursday that the Europeans were shocked by the events in the Gaza Strip and the images that streamed from there.

Dr. Johansson added that the public mood in Europe was against the war and there were allegations of war crimes, but after the public realised what is happening there, it will not be easy for the European governments to ignore the situation.

She also told KUNA that it was wrong for the western governments to have boycotted Hamas, and that the results of 2006 election, which was described by the European Union as fair and democratic, should have been respected.

Dr. Johansson was in Brussels to participate in the launching of the Peace 2009 Report which was produced by five German institutes.

In her report she said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved militarily, Israel was not in a position to impose its own will on the Palestinian people and that Hamas should be included in any peaceful solution to the issue.

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