On Friday 9 March, the EU expressed its concern at the Israeli Knesset's adoption of a law on 7 March authorising the Israeli home affairs minister to revoke the status of permanent residency for people involved in terrorism, treason or spying.
This status enables people to move around freely in Israel and to benefit from its health and social services.
While rejecting terrorism in all its forms, and deeming the crimes listed in the legislation as "very serious", the spokesperson for the European External Action Service said that the new law "could make the residency status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, a protected population under International Humanitarian Law, even more precarious than it already is today".
"The new law could be used to further compromise the Palestinian presence in East Jerusalem, which would further undermine the prospects of a two-state solution", the spokesperson added in a press release. She also warned that the EU would closely monitor "if and how" this new law is applied to Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
In addition, the spokesperson reiterated that in line with international law, the EU did not recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967, "including East Jerusalem, and does not consider them to be part of Israel’s territory, irrespective of their legal status under domestic Israeli law". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)