In Jerusalem, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders said "There is no good or bad terrorism; it must be condemned wherever it occurs."
Speaking before the Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR), which operates under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress, Reynders said: "We try to move forward not only with military power, but with attempts to arrange a political solution. The strategy will only be effective if it takes into account the economic causes of the situation.” He expressed confidence that the war against terror could be won, but added: "We must also win the peace."
Lamenting what he regarded as a lack of intelligence-sharing, Reynders said: "Ever since the attack on the Jewish Museum [in Brussels] in 2014, I have been bringing up in conversation with the EU the need for the open and free exchange of information. Cooperation among countries is an essential part of our fight against terrorism. However, the tradition of national intelligence services is to collect information, not to share it. We must share a common data base among intelligence services. Many of them do not like to share information. Belgium's service is a defensive one. There may be other countries in the world with a different approach.”
The breakfast meeting was chaired by ICFR Board member Professor Shlomo Avineri, who suggested to Reynders in advance of his visit to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that he ask Palestinian leaders how there could be peace with Israel when there was no peace among the leaders of the various political wings of the Palestinian people. Avineri said: “Europeans must appreciate the fact that the Hamas charter identifies the Jews, not Israel, as the cause of everything wrong in the world in the past few centuries. If this type of party arose in Europe, it would be made illegal.”
The Jerusalem-based Israel Council on Foreign Relations is devoted to the study and debate of foreign policy, with special emphasis on Israeli and Jewish concerns. The ICFR functions under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress.
