Venice Declaration

   Meeting in Venice, Italy, on 13 June 1980, the heads of government and foreign ministers of the European Community (European Economic Community) adopted a statement on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Citing the "traditional ties and common interests" linking Europe and the Arab world, the Venice Declaration claims a "special role" for the European [Economic] Community in helping to facilitate a "comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict." The main themes of the declaration include the "right of existence and to security of all states in the region, including Israel, and justice for all people, which implies recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," and the Palestinian right to "exercise fully the right to self-determination." It urges Israel to end territorial occupation and settlements and not to make unilateral moves in Jerusalem. It also asserts that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) "will have to be associated with the negotiations." Israel's government, headed by Menachem Begin, reacted angrily to the Venice Declaration, accusing its initiators of appeasing terrorists and others opposed to the Camp David Accords and the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. The PLO also rejected the document.

   See also Foreign Policy.