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Press release: Democracy in the Arab world

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The developments the last weeks underlines that there is no stability in dictatorships. True and real stability requires change rooted in democracy and human rights. It must be a priority above all of the European Union to support the democratic forces and the road to democracy in the Arab world.

That said the president of European Friends of Israel, MEP Gunnar Hökmark, when he opened the 2nd EFI Policy conference in Jerusalem on the Saturday.

It would have been good if statements of European governments the last weeks about the Arab dictatorships had been made long before, as a support for democratic forces in these countries.

The lesson to all should be that there exists no stability in stability as such when it is not combined with open societies and democracy. That’s why there is a need now, to move on with the peace process. The status quo of today will not offer any stability for tomorrow.

It is in the defence of the open society of Israel, for all its citizens, and the call for democracy in the region that friends of Israel can contribute to stability and peace and it is in the willingness to now take on the peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority that the Israeli leadership can contribute to stability, enabling for new opportunities in EU-Israeli cooperation, said Hökmark.