Press: 30+ Jewish and Palestinian organisations defy EU secrecy

BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights

40+ Jewish and Palestinian organisations defy EU secrecy

For Immediate Release

No. (E/32/05)

10 December 2005

Dismayed by the refusal of the EU to publish their own Ramallah and East Jerusalem Heads of Mission findings regarding Israeli state actions towards non Jewish residents of East Jerusalem, over 40 Jewish, Israeli and Palestinian anti Occupation groups have decided they must take matters into their own hands.

Every organisation listed below will publish the Report on their websites. See, for example: ..\..\..\eu-reponse.htm

The report, which states that Israels activities in Jerusalem are in violation of both its Roadmap obligations and international law was shelved by EU foreign ministers at their 12 December Foreign Affairs (GAERC) meeting in Brussels, for fear of alienating Israel and reducing the EU's influence.

Yet, protesting groups point out, only one day after the reports suppression, Israel announced the building of 300 new homes in the Maale Adumim settlement, the largest in the occupied territories, in violation of the Road Map and international law.

Pierre Galand, Senator in the Belgian Parliament and Chairman of the European Co-ordinating Committee of NGOs on the question of Palestine (ECCP) said: European diplomats in East Jerusalem and Ramallah had the courage to stress the alarming situation in East Jerusalem. Their report corroborates the ICJ advisory opinion ruling on the Wall and the illegal settlements, which led the ECCP to initiate the European Campaign for Sanctions against the Israeli Occupation. In order to force the EU member states to respect their own commitment to International Law and Human Rights, we will publish the report on East Jerusalem on our websites, despite the EU refusal to do so.

Dan Judelson, Secretary of European Jews for a Just Peace said "The EU are burying their heads in the sand and are thus co-responsible while East Jerusalem residents face repeated violations of international law and of simple standards of humanity, all at the hands of the Israeli state. This is not a time for thumb twiddling or inaction; if the EU sits on this report, we see it as our duty to make it as widely available as we can."

Betty Hunter, General Secretary of the UK Palestinian Solidarity Campaign said: "It is 17 months since the International Court of Justice declared the apartheid Wall to be an illegal act by an occupying force and that settlement building should end. While Israel defies this decision, Palestinians are losing their homes, land and livelihood in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. If European countries continue to collude with this, they are also guilty of oppressing the Palestinian people."

...ENDS...

Pierre Galand, + 32 2 223 07 56 eccp@skynet.be

Chairman, European Co-ordinating Committee of NGOs on the question of Palestine

Dan Judelson, + 44 (0) 779 339 2820

Secretary, European Jews for a Just Peace www.ejjp.org

Plus:

Alternative Information Centre, Bethlehem & Jerusalem www.alternativenews.org

Arab Centre for Agricultural Development acad@palnet.com

Arab Media Watch, UK www.arabmediawatch.blogspot.com

Association Belgo-Palestinienne www.association-belgo-palestinienne

Association France Palestine Solidarit www.france-palestine.org

Association France Palestine Solidarite  Toulouse www.toulouse-palestine.org