In a strongly worded resolution on Thursday, the EU parliament condemned Israeli settler violence and demanded ‘an immediate end to house demolitions, evictions and forced displacement of Palestinians.’In recent years there have been repeated cases of Israelis from illegal settlements assaulting Palestinians and destroying their property. The Israeli government rarely, if ever takes actions against the culprits. Thursday’s resolution at the EU parliament called on the Israeli government to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice.
Israel has built over 200 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. The building of these settlements has been strongly condemned by the international community. Despite repeated calls for a cessation of their expansion, Israel continues to build new settlements and expand existing ones. These projects involve illegal land grabs of Palestinian farmland and limiting Palestinian’s access to water supplies. This has had a severe humanitarian and economic effect on the displaced Palestinians and those in the surrounding area.
The EU parliament on Thursday was in direct accord with the Palestinian position. The resolution stated the illegal settlements are ‘a major obstacle to peace efforts.’
