EU reiterates opposition to Israeli settlement building, home demolitions in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The European Union on Wednesday reiterated its opposition to the Israeli settlement activities across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and demolitions of Palestinian homes.

"The EU has consistently reiterated its strong opposition to Israel's settlement policy and illegal actions taken in this context," European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, said in statements cited by a statement from the Office of the EU Representative to the West Bank and Gaza.

He said the EU has repeatedly urged Israel to meet its obligations under international law and international humanitarian law towards the Palestinians in the West Bank.

The European official stressed that the EU at several occasions asked Israel to compensate for demolitions of EU-funded assets of Palestinians.

He, however, added that at the moment, the issue of compensation has not been discussed.

Israel widely uses the pretext of lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes, especially in Area C in the occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60% of its space.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions – Area A, B, and C.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in occupied territories are considered illegal.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar