The S&D Group is deeply concerned about the situation of Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin village in the strategic E1 corridor in East Jerusalem, threatened by imminent and complete demolition by Israeli authorities.
S&D Group vice-president Elena Valenciano said :
“The Khan al-Ahmar community, which is known also for its emblematic school built out of rubber tyres, has been living under the imminent threat of complete demolition for weeks. We call on the Israeli authorities to refrain from this destructive action, and to put an immediate end to the demolition of Palestinian property in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, which is illegal under international law. We urge EU High Representative Federica Mogherini to continue and step up her efforts aimed at saving Khan al-Ahmar, and we support all the actions taken by EU member states and other international actors in order to protect this community.
“The two-state solution, with the state of Israel and a viable state of Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security along the 1967 borders, with mutually agreed land swaps, and Jerusalem as capital of both states, remains the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Israeli demolitions and settlements in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, are a deliberate attack against this vision. The European Union must react to these policies in the framework of our bilateral relations with Israel, also with regard to destroyed EU-funded projects. It is also in this spirit that we continue to call for a European Parliament resolution for preserving the viability of the two-state solution, which is being shamefully blocked by the right-wing majority in our institution.
