EU Ambassador denounces Israel’s demolition of homes in West Bank

JERUSALEM, Israel (Kurdistan24) – The European Union Ambassador to Israel on Tuesday released a statement condemning the recent demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank.

EU Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Anderson denounced Israel’s actions and said the country had not maintained its duties under international law.

“The practice of enforcement measures such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions, and confiscations of homes…are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law,” he stated.

The statement concerned the village of Khan al-Ahmar in East Jerusalem where EU member states Belgium and Italy have funded the building of a school.

Tensions between Israel and Palestine had reignited in recent years, and the dispute over land continues.

On March 10, US President Donald Trump spoke with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas over the phone and urged him to resolve the conflict with Israel.

“The President emphasized his personal belief that peace is possible and that the time has come to reach a deal,” a White House statement published at the time read.

Last year, a draft United Nations Security Council resolution regarding settlement construction in the West Bank was submitted by Egypt on Dec. 21.

The draft received support from several countries, including France, against Israeli settlement on Palestinian land.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had expressed his discontent before the UN vote, calling the proposed resolution “anti-Israel.”

After a vote on Dec. 23, 2016, the UN Security Council said the settlement was a “flagrant violation under international law.”

The decision officially condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal.

Shortly after the vote, the Jerusalem municipal government announced it was moving ahead with the construction of thousands of new homes in disputed areas.

Editing by Ava Homa