EU denounces illegal Israeli project in East Jerusalem
Aug. 3, 2018 12:27 P.M. (Updated: Aug. 3, 2018 2:33 P.M.)
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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The European Union (EU) Representative and the EU Heads of Mission in the Jerusalem and Ramallah districts issued a statement on Thursday denouncing the Israeli expansion of an illegal Israeli settlement project in the Silwan neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
The statement said that “the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah express serious concern at the official inauguration on 1st August of a touristic center, run by a settler organization, in the Batn al-Hawa/Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, in the compound from which five households of the Palestinian Abu Nab family were evicted in 2015.”
The EU said that “around 180 Palestinian households in East Jerusalem, out of which approximately 100 in Batn al-Hawa alone, face the risk of eviction from their homes, directly facilitating further settlement growth in the city, as in this instance.”
“The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah recall the successive Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions and statements in which the EU has repeated its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context, including evictions and demolitions. Settlement activity in East Jerusalem seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States, is illegal under international law, and undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace.”