A group of MEPs asked Israel to pay for the destruction of Palestinian structures funded by the EU
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said in response to lawmakers over the weekend that Brussels has repeatedly asked Israel to pay for destroyed West Bank homes built with aid. financing from the EU or member states.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the article by Lenarcic declare followed a letter written by 24 MEPs to the Crisis Management Committee, demanding that Israel compensate the European Union for the loss of EU tax dollars.
“Financially, Israel has suffered no consequences for illegal demolition and human rights abuses,” read the letter, according to Haaretz.
In his response, Lenarcic stated that the EU has repeatedly condemned “Israeli settlement policy and illegal actions taken in this context,” added that the bloc has repeatedly asked Israel “return or compensate for EU-funded properties that have been destroyed, dismantled or confiscated.”
However, despite working to receive this compensation through diplomatic and political channels, the commissioner acknowledged that a “a list of possible options to secure Israel compensation for EU funding lost as a result of demolition” has yet to be discussed at the Council of Europe.
“The Council, unanimously acting, decides on the possibility of applying EU restrictive measures,” Lenarcic concluded.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in the first eight months of 2022, more than 700 people were displaced after Israeli authorities demolished, confiscated or forced others to dismantle a total of 590 buildings are owned by Palestinians around the world. West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In July and August alone, Israel demolished about 202 structures, 29 of which were provided as donor-funded humanitarian aid.
The report note that the 2022 figures show a decrease from the previous year, when Israeli authorities destroyed a total of 911 structures and displaced 1,209 people.
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