CIDI – Center for Information and Documentation Israel April 25, 2022

By CIDI, Jos Hummelen, April 14th, 2022

The European Union (EU) continues to subsidize illegal Palestinian construction. Rob Roos, a Dutch politician who has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2 July 2019 and a member of the JA21 political party, calls this a “blatant violation of the Oslo Accords and therefore of international law.” 

Following an extensive report by HonestReporting, Rob Roos asked questions in the European Parliament. “The EU cannot simultaneously condemn Israel and break rules itself, with Dutch taxpayers' money,” said Roos.

A strong rebuke of European policy on the West Bank comes from the Israeli Ministry of Intelligence and has been translated into English by HonestReporting. This report outlines how Brussels finances the illegal takeover of territories by the Palestinian Authority (PA). These areas are under Israeli control under international law.

The document describes how foreign governments have funneled hundreds of millions of euros into Palestinian projects in Area C of the West Bank in violation of relevant international law and applicable agreements, namely the Oslo Accords that define the territory's current status.

The report concludes that by bypassing Israel, the PA and its European facilitators have damaged the prospects for peace, while at the same time endangering the lives of Israelis and Palestinians.

According to the report titled “The Palestinian Campaign for Area C – Shaping a Security Reality on the Ground, Description and Implications,” the government in Ramallah is leading a deliberate, concerted effort to bring the entire West Bank under Palestinian jurisdiction. To this end, the Palestinians have used EU funds to build thousands of illegal works and occupy tens of square kilometers of farmland.

That is why Roos asks the question: “On the basis of the Oslo Accords, which are part of international law, Israel is the sole authority competent in Area C of the West Bank. Does the High Representative share the view that the EU's actions, as established in the report, are contrary to international law? If not, why not?

The report also states that the EU's interventions are damaging the relationship between the PA and Israel. Roos therefore poses the last question: “in recent decades, the EU has emphasized the importance of a “two-state solution based on the Oslo Accords and on international law” and warned against unilateral steps contrary to the Oslo Accords. 

How does this position reconcile with the unilateral steps described in the report by the Palestinian Authority, financially and diplomatically supported by the EU?”