2017-Feb-16 European Union

Marking the latest EU-Israeli conflict over Israeli demolitions of Palestinian property, the EU’s Amb. to Israel Lars FaaborgAndersen had a reportedly tense meeting with the new dir.-gen. of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Yuval Rotem, in late 3/2017. “Immediately after the meeting began, Faaborg-Andersen announced that he was taking advantage of [it] to deliver a message that had been approved by the EU’s security and diplomacy commission, on which all 28 mbr. states are represented” (Haaretz, 4/4). The document described Israel as an “occupying power” and demanded an end to Israeli demolitions in Area C of the West Bank (see “Demolitions and Displacement” above), especially in the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, where Israeli forces issued more than 40 demolition orders on 2/19 (see Chronology for details). “The practice of enforcement measures such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions, and confiscations of homes and humanitarian assets (including EU-funded), and the obstruction of delivery of humanitarian assistance are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law, including in particular provisions of the 4th Geneva Convention . . . and cause suffering to ordinary Palestinians,” the document read. After news reports of the meeting surfaced, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the EU’s dep. amb. for clarification and a ministry spokesperson reaffirmed that “in Israel, illegal construction is dealt with according to the law.”