The spokeswoman of the European External Action Service, Maja Kocijancic, called on the Israeli authorities on Monday 3 June to return two classrooms financed by the EU that are about to be auctioned off.
These structures, used by children in the community of Izbiq (northeast of the West Bank), were seized last October on the pretext that the village, located in Area C, is apparently a biblical archaeological site.
At the time, “the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah called on the Israeli authorities to return the facilities to their designated beneficiaries unconditionally and as soon as possible or to provide immediate compensation for the dismantled and confiscated assets. This position has not changed”, Ms Kocijancic told EUROPE.
The spokesperson added that the EU expects investments intended for the Palestinian people to be protected against damage and destruction, recalling that EU actions in Area C are taking place in accordance with international and humanitarian law.
According to Ms Kocijancic, the EU will monitor the situation in the coming days and are in “very regular” contact with the Israeli authorities. “The EU will also continue to act as necessary in the coming days and weeks and months. [...] We will use all the tools we have to continue to get the message across and to defend the EU's position”, she insisted, without giving any further details.
Ms Kocijancic also recalled that the EU's goal is a two-state solution in which both sides can live side by side in peace and security, including “support for Palestinian authorities”, although Jared Kushner, adviser to US President Donald Trump, had stated the day before that, while Palestinians deserve “self-determination”, there are questions about their ability to govern themselves. On 30 May, the EU announced that it had contributed €15 million to the May salaries and pensions of nearly 56,000 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank as part of its direct financial support to the Palestinian Authority through the PEGASE mechanism.
In addition, on 1 June, the spokesperson of the European External Action Service denounced the publication on 29 May of tender offers for more than 800 residential units in settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. The tenders reportedly include 460 units in Pisgat Zeev and 345 in Ramot. “The policy of building and expanding settlements in East Jerusalem continues to undermine the possibility of a viable two-state solution, with Jerusalem being the future capital of both states”, she reiterated, adding that the EU is firmly opposed to Israel's settlement policy. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)