EU denounces Israel’s West Bank land appropriation
Joining US, UN, Britain and Germany, 28-nation bloc slams designation of 580 acres near Jericho as state land
The European Union on Thursday blasted Israel’s land appropriation this week of 580 acres near the West Bank city of Jericho, saying it raises questions about Jerusalem’s commitment to the two-state solution.
The United States, United Kingdom and Germany have already condemned the decision, while the United Nation has urged Israel to reverse the move.
“Israel’s decision to declare 234 hectares near Jericho in Area C of the West Bank as state land is a further step that risks undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state and therefore calls into question Israel’s commitment to a two-state solution,” the EU said in a statement.
“Any decision that could enable further settlement expansion, which is illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace, will only drive the parties to the conflict even further apart,” it added.
The EU statement reiterated that it remains “firmly opposed” to all settlement activity
On Tuesday, US State Department spokesman John Kirby was asked about the move and said the United States was “concerned,” noting it was a “significant increase” over two conversions in 2014: nearly 1,000 acres near Bethlehem in the Gush Etzion bloc and another 250 acres in the same area.
“This decision is, in our view, the latest step in what appears to be an ongoing process of land expropriations, settlement expansions and legalizations of outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution,” Kirby said.
“As we have said before, we strongly oppose any steps that accelerate settlement expansion, which raise serious questions about Israel’s long-term intentions. And as we’ve repeatedly made clear, we continue to look to both sides to demonstrate with actions and policies a genuine commitment to a two-state solution. Actions such as these do just the opposite.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon approved the redesignation of the land on Tuesday, according to an Army Radio report.
A spokeswoman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday Berlin fears the expropriated land will be used to expand settlements and make it harder to forge a peace deal with the Palestinians.
Sawsan Chebli said that “the German government regrets this decision and hopes that it will be reversed.”
Chebli said the Israeli decision “sends a wrong signal at the wrong time.”
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The UK’s Foreign Office also released a statement on Wednesday, saying the Israeli move damages peace prospects with the Palestinians.
“We condemn the Israeli government’s decision to take over 585 acres of land in the West Bank as ‘state land’. Such steps clearly damage the diminishing prospects for a two state solution. The UK and our international partners have consistently called for an end to settlement expansion, which is illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace,” it said.
“If the Israeli government is truly committed to a two-state solution then it will reverse its decision,” it added.
The move comes amid heightened tensions with the European Union, which earlier this week said in a declaration that its agreements with Israel didn’t extend over the Green Line, angering Jerusalem.
The declaration was signed March 10 by the head of the IDF Civil Administration during a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority by US Vice President Joe Biden.
The land, now empty desert, runs on both sides of the major North-South highway Route 1 as it nears the Dead Sea. Some of the land is located inside the Jewish settlement of Almog, which has a plan to build 358 housing units there, according to Peace Now. There is a 45-day appeals process.
Israel has previously used an 1858 Ottoman law stating that land which lies fallow for several years could revert to government property as the legal basis for such moves.
The Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now slammed the declaration in a statement Tuesday.
“This declaration is a de facto confiscation of Palestinian lands for the purpose of settlement,” the group said. “Instead of trying to calm the situation, the government is adding fuel to the fire and sending a clear message to Palestinians, as well as to Israelis, that it has no intention to work towards peace and two states. Netanyahu proves yet again that settler pressure is more important to him than the deteriorating security situation.”
