BRUSSELS, 15 Sept. - (ANA) - Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from the Delegation for Relations with Palestine will visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories from 17 to 20 September, to assess the political situation on the ground.

 

The cross-party delegation will visit Jerusalem, Ramallah and Nablus, and will meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and other high-level Palestinian officials, as well as civil society organisations, community leaders, human rights defenders and activists.

 

The European Parliament delegation has formally requested entry into the Gaza Strip, which faces a dire humanitarian situation caused by a 10-year blockade. Israel has repeatedly denied access to the delegation to visit the poverty-stricken Strip since 2011.

 

MEPs will be looking to assess the political situation on site and the prospects for a future Palestinian state, amid the ramped-up expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, the U.S. unilateral decision to recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel and the cutting of funds for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA.

 

Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE/NGL, Cyprus), Chair of the Delegation, said the United States was waging an assault on Palestine refugees.

 

“By stripping UNRWA of its funding, the U.S. is trying to reconstitute the status of 5.3 million people and extinguish their possibility of return to a future Palestinian state. By trying to twist the arms of President Abbas, the United States is doing Israel’s bidding and derailing the two-state solution,” Sylikiotis said, calling on the European Union to “exert pressure beyond making political statements”.

 

“Israel must stop its settlement expansion, end the occupation and commit to a roadmap for peace”, he added.

 

While in Palestine, the delegation will also assess the human rights situation, including the eviction of Palestinian communities and the confiscation of their land to make way for Israeli settlements.

 

It will visit Khan al-Ahmar, the Bedouin village in East Jerusalem, which Israel has earmarked for demolition. On Thursday 13 September, the European Parliament condemned the decision and said forced displacement was illegal under international law.

 

The delegation will further look into the use of EU aid, the increased demolition of EU-funded projects and the annexation of East Jerusalem.

 

A press point is foreseen on Wednesday 12 September 2018, in Ramallah.

 

The group will be led by Delegation Chair Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE/NGL, Cyprus) and be composed of five other Members: Margrete Auken (Vice-Chair of Delegation, Greens, Denmark), Edouard Martin (S&D, France), Sofia Sakorafa (GUE/NGL, Greece) Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, Spain) and Enrique Guerrero Salom (S&D, Spain). Ms Gardiazabal Rubial joins the delegation as standing rapporteur from the Budgets Committee, while Mr Guerrero Salom is standing rapporteur on humanitarian aid in the Development Committee.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/15 September 2018 - - -