Israel’s construction of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem is a deliberate strategy aimed at rendering a viable Palestinian state impossible, according to an internal report from the European Union obtained by AFP.
The Jerusalem Report 2012, written by the EU heads of mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah, urges member states to halt or avoid any financial activity that could conceivably contribute to Israel’s settlement construction. It effectively calls for economic sanctions on Israel.
Settlement construction in East Jerusalem “is part of a political strategy aiming at making it impossible for Jerusalem to become the capital of two states,” the report said.
“If the current pace of settlement activity on Jerusalem’s southern flank persists, an effective buffer between east Jerusalem and Bethlehem may be in place by the end of 2013, thus making the realization of a viable two-state solution inordinately more difficult, if not impossible,” it added.
The settlements are almost universally seen as illegal under international law. A January United Nations Human Rights Council report reiterated the international consensus, that Israel’s settlement policies violate article 49 of the fourth Geneva convention, which prohibits the transfer of civilian populations to occupied territory.
The report also concluded that the settlements are “leading to a creeping annexation that prevents the establishment of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state and undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.”
Careful observers have understood for a long time that Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians are carefully crafted in order to block Palestinian statehood and obtain the West Bank as part of the Jewish state.
Israeli leaders deceitfully claim they are willing to negotiate peace with the Palestinians without preconditions, an attempt to condemn the Palestinian authorities as unwilling because they refuse to talk while Israel continues to steal more of their land.
The United States, meanwhile, continues to support Israel unconditionally with billions of dollars in aid and weapons every year, thereby sustaining a system of apartheid and depriving Palestinians a state of their own.
And Europe just figure that out…, look: Israel apartheid system is a creation of European to begin with..,
USA is the supplier of weapon and other freebies to Israel for USA interests and its imperialistic idea…,
For last 65 years as much as Israel used and abused USA and Europe so the Europeans and USA been using israelis against Arab nationals and their dictatorial regimes to keep us and Europe militarism present in Persia gulf. Things have changed and west is begging to see it.., , not that they are going to do radical changes but for now they thinking about it.., and the issue of settlement is one of those matters.
Why has it taken so long for somebody to realise what the ROGUE Nation (Isreal) is up to?
WHAT , IF ANYTHING, WILL THEY DO?
i SUPOPOSE ITS TOO MUCH TO HOPE THAT ANYTHING AT ALL WILL BE DONE TO STOP THIS INHUMANE TREATMENT OF THE pALESTINIANS
A pox on all your houses.
Why has it taken so long for somebody to realise what the ROGUE Nation (Isreal) is up to?
WHAT , IF ANYTHING, WILL THEY DO?
i SUPPOSE ITS TOO MUCH TO HOPE THAT ANYTHING AT ALL WILL BE DONE TO STOP THIS INHUMANE TREATMENT OF THE pALESTINIANS
A pox on all your houses.
Palestinians have no oil and control no diamond or gold or other major commodity market. Long way down on the food chain for the USA. Squabbling with the Israelis distracts the locals from the wholesale theft of their oil. Aim achieved. Divide and Conquer.
Is this news? I dont know why the EU is just making this observation.
There is still hope for the Palestinians in the form of the EU it turns out to be not as bad as the US with its policy about Palestinians .
Nonsense. Israel and it's poodles the US, Canada and the EU would like you to think so but it just ain't true. Israel can be made to give up any land not in the UN decision of 29 November 1947. Any of the "borders" it has had with the palestinians since then are purely fiction. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1947-UN-Pa…
DUHHH! After 45 years of slow motion ethnic cleansing the EU is just figuring this out?
This is hogwash. The EU can say anything, but then it will turn around and open its legs to Israel.