STRASBOURG — A group of left-wing members of the European Parliament on Monday accused the group of refusing their request to discuss Israel’s recent expansion of control in the occupied West Bank.
“Congress has once again decided to turn a blind eye to Palestinian violence,” the group wrote on the platform of US social media company X.
The group said the call for a debate was opposed by the centre-right and far-right coalition in parliament.
MEPs will hold a plenary session in Strasbourg from February 9th to 12th to discuss EU-related and international developments.
On Sunday, Israel’s Security Cabinet ordered the repeal of a law that prohibited the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, the unsealing of land ownership records, and the transfer of building permit authority in Hebron settlements from Palestinian municipalities to Israeli civil administration.
The European Union on Monday condemned new settlement measures approved by Israeli occupation authorities in the West Bank, calling them a “clear violation” of international law and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
EU foreign and security policy spokesperson Anuar El-Anouni: “This move is another step in the wrong direction.” tThe reporters stressed that the EU does not recognize Israeli control over the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
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Israel’s new measures also extend Israeli surveillance and enforcement to areas classified as Area A and Area B for alleged violations related to unauthorized construction, water issues, and damage to archaeological and environmental sites.
The expansion allows for the demolition and seizure of Palestinian property even in areas under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority’s civil and security administration.
In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for its eviction from all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel has stepped up military operations in the West Bank since it began its war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, including killings, arrests, forced displacement, and settlement expansion, a trajectory that Palestinians say is aimed at paving the way for formal annexation of the occupied territory. — Agency
