European missions demand end to Israel’s West Bank demolitions, confiscations

A consortium of diplomatic missions across Europe have called on the Israeli regime to halt its demolition of structures built with humanitarian assistance across the occupied West Bank as well as the confiscation of donor-funded items.

In a press statement released on Friday, the missions, led by the Office of the European Union Representative to the West Bank and Gaza, strongly condemned the Tel Aviv regime’s recent demolition of a donor-funded school in the Palestinian village of Jubbet ad-Dhib and expressed grave concerns about the threatened razing of another 57 West Bank schools.

“The consortium of missions call on Israel, as the occupying power, to halt all confiscations and demolitions and to give unimpeded access to humanitarian organizations in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem (al-Quds).”

“Through official channels, the missions have called on Israel to return or compensate for all humanitarian items ... The total value of donor-funded items, which have been demolished, dismantled or confiscated since 2015, is estimated at 1,291,000 EUR” or almost $1.4 million.

The European Diplomatic missions also raised the alarm at the impending forced expulsion of more than 1,000 Palestinians from the Masafer Yatta region of the southern West Bank. 

In May 2022, after a two-decade legal dispute, the Israeli regime’s High Court of Justice ruled against the Palestinian villagers residing in the 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) Masafer Yatta.

It accepted the regime's claim that the residents began squatting in the area after it was declared a firing zone by the occupying regime’s military in 1981.

Masafer Yatta residents say that Palestinian families have been permanently residing there since before Israel occupied the West Bank, in the 1967 war, and that their eviction would constitute a breach of international law.

The ruling clears the way for the eviction of over 1,000 Palestinians from the region, sparking criticisms by the United Nations, the European Union and Israeli-based rights groups.

Israel top court gives green lights to forcible expulsion of over 1,000 Palestinians from West Bank hamlets

Israel

Also in their statement, the missions condemned Israel’s “failure to protect Palestinians and prosecute violent settlers.”

They further “underlined their concern about continued and dangerous statements, which can incite further violence, and stressed that partners on the ground consider that settlement expansion has resulted in increased settler violence.”

The missions also reiterated that settlements are illegal under international law, urging Tel Aviv to cease the policy of settlement expansion and of denying Palestinian development in the occupied West Bank.

Israel has stepped up its settlement expansion activities since last December, when Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power as the prime minister of the regime’s most far-right cabinet.

In late March, a report by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said 700,000 Israelis are living in 279 settlements across the occupied West Bank, including 14 settlements in occupied East al-Quds. 

The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s illegal settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions. The Palestinians have historically demanded that the West Bank serves as part of their future state with East al-Quds, which is located inside the territory, as its capital.

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