EU condemns Israelis’ permanent presence in Homesh, settlement expansion in West Bank
GENEVA / NABLUS (AA): The EU on Wednesday condemned the Israeli government’s decision to allow the permanent presence of its citizens in Homesh as well as settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Peter Stano, the lead spokesperson for external affairs, said that the bloc is “gravely concerned” by the decision of the Israeli authorities to allow Israeli citizens to establish a permanent presence in the Homesh outpost in the West Bank.
“The EU urges the Israeli government to reverse its decisions taken on 17 May to advance plans for more than 600 housing units in existing and new settlements in the West Bank,” Stano said in a statement.
Such unilateral acts are counterproductive to efforts to ease tensions on the ground, he warned and reiterated that Israeli settlements violate international law and make the two-state solution impractical.
The bloc is also appalled by repeated settler attacks and demolition orders that forced 172 residents, including 78 children, of Ein Samiya to leave their homes permanently, the spokesperson said.
“The EU firmly condemns settler violence and calls on Israel to ensure accountability,” he said.
European delegation visits Sebastia, Burqa in West Bank
European Union Representative in Palestine Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff said Wednesday that all forms of Israeli settlement building in the West Bank are illegal.
This statement came during a visit by a delegation of European ambassadors and consuls to the Palestinian towns of Sebastia and Burqa in the northern West Bank.
“Legalizing the return of settlers to evacuated outposts in the northern West Bank is contrary to the decisions of Israel’s Supreme Court and to international law,” von Burgsdorff told reporters.
“All forms of settlements are illegal,” he added.
Last week, the chief of the Israeli military’s Central Command signed an order that allows Israelis to enter the Homesh outpost near Nablus, paving the way for a formal settlement to be built there, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.
“Israel must stop such measures, stop violence, and prevent settler attacks,” von Burgsdorff said. “Israel as an occupying power has to protect the Palestinians against these measures.”
In March, The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) passed a bill to allow Israeli settlers to resettle in four settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The bill rolled back legislation that ordered the evacuation of the illegal outposts of Homesh, Ganim, Kadim and Sa-Nur in the occupied territory in 2005.
In early May, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, to intervene to halt an Israeli settlement project in the Sebastia archealogical site in the occupied West Bank.
Sebastia is an ancient and historic site that dates back to the Hellenistic and Roman eras.
According to Haaretz newspaper, the Israeli government approved a proposal to invest 29 million Israeli shekels ($8 million) to develop the Sebastia site to allow more settlers to reach the area and to decrease Palestinians access there.
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