The EU must act immediately to prevent the demolition of Khan Al Ahmar
Statement by Neoklis Sylikiotis, AKEL MEP and President of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Palestine
Press release EP Office N. Sylikiotis, 9th March 2017
The European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Palestine called on the EU to act swiftly and decisively to prevent the demolition of the West Bank village of Khan Al-Ahmar in Palestine, where the Bedouin refugee community resides. In a letter sent by N. Sylikiotis as President of the Delegation, he urged the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini to immediately take all the necessary actions and to exert pressure on Israel so that the Bedouin community is protected.
In his written statement Neoklis Sylikiotis stressed that the EU must act immediately to ensure that the houses of the Bedouin community will be protected. As he explained, the European Parliament Delegation visited the village of Khan Al-Ahmar, and saw the Bedouin community, which consists of 140 people, more than half of which are children. The community, as he pointed out, is already living in precarious inhumane conditions. As a consequence of the EP delegation’s visit, the Israeli authorities had delayed the demolition, which was originally scheduled to take place in late February.
However the village of Khan al-Ahmar, where the Bedouin community resides, is intended for an illegal expansion of Israeli settlements. That’s why the Israeli authorities on Sunday sent an ultimatum to the Bedouin community that if within seven days they don’t demolish their houses they will destroy them.
The AKEL MEP and GUE/NGL Vice-President stressed that the demolition orders Israel issued have as their sole objective the expansion of settlements and the division of the West Bank, also representing a part and parcel of the policy of annexation implemented by Israel.
The EU has repeatedly expressed its support towards a two-state solution. We have also repeated many times that the expansion of settlements must be immediately terminated as they are illegal according to International Law and that they are an obstacle to the prevalence of peace and the achievement of the two-state solution. The EU therefore needs to act decisively and defend these positions, which are based on International Law, stated N. Sylikiotis. In addition, as he noted, the forced movement of people constitutes a serious violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Palestine also expressed its regret for the decision of the Council of EU Foreign Affairs to proceed with the preparation of the Association Council with Israel.
The EU must be consistent to the principles it proclaims. It cannot proceed to the deepening of relations with Israel as long as Israel continues to expand settlements, violate International Law and human rights, stressed N.Sylikiotis. If Israel wants to be a democratic country it must respect International Law in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as all human rights of the Palestinians, he pointed out.
According to UN figures, the most demolitions were committed in 2016 by Israel. As for 2017, the Israeli authorities have already demolished 172 Palestinian homes in area C and East Jerusalem. 289 people have been displaced and 4,000 have been affected.
