Israeli Minister of Defense, Naftali Bennett, has threatened to destroy all Palestinian structures in West Bank areas under complete Israeli control (Area C), including those which were funded by Europeans, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
According to Days of Palestine, Bennett made the threat during a meeting with ambassadors of European Union states, last week.
He called on Europeans to direct their money towards humanitarian aid instead of what he called unlicensed construction.
The minister’s threat came one day after the Israeli army’s central region commander announced a plan to launch an unprecedented demolition campaign, against Palestinian buildings, in Area C of the West Bank.
The occupied West Bank was divided into three areas – A, B and C – as part of the Oslo Accords, signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel, in 1993 and 1995.
The agreements led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which was granted limited powers of governance in Areas A and B.
However, the outcomes of the Oslo Accords have instead left Israel in complete control of the Palestinian economy, as well as its civil and security matters, in more than 60 percent of the West Bank, designated as Area C.
Despite granting the PA control over administrative and internal security matters in parts of the West Bank, Israel maintains military control over the entire area.
