Quarterly Updates

This quarter saw a major dispute between the UNRWA and the personnel that administers its programs in the oPt UNRWA had been facing a financial crunch for some time following the strain on its services placed by the crisis in Syria, and the heightened needs of its beneficiary population in Lebano

At the beginning of the quarter, the EU finally concluded (11/26) an agreement to allow Israel’s participation in the Horizon 2020 scientific research project.

Israel’s 18-month long boycott of the UN Human Rights Council came to an end as Israeli officials including the dep. atty. gen. participated in the hearing held in Geneva on 10/29.

EU-Israeli relations this quarter were dominated by controversy over new European guidelines restricting funding on projects with Israeli institutions which had ties to settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (see Update in JPS 169).

Israel’s conflict with the UN Human Rights Council continued this quarter, despite a letter (6/3) from Israel’s UNHRC Amb. Eviatar Maner, expressing his govt.’s intention to restore ties with the council.

While the EU and Ashton did not depart from long-standing positions such as supporting peace talks and criticizing settlement construction, this quarter was marked by unusual tension between Israel and the EU.

On 3/18, a UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission formally presented its high-profile report on Israel’s West Bank settlements, released in 1/2013 (see Doc. A5 in JPS 167), at the UNHRC’s 22nd session in Geneva.

During this quarter, the EU expressed concern about ongoing Israeli settlement construction and other occupationrelated policies that had come to dominate public diplomacy with Tel Aviv. Yet, there was still no sign that any serious European move to use sanctions of any sort was imminent.