Head of the Benyamin Regional Council Yisrael Ganz stated in response that “the Israeli governments have disregarded and are disregarding even today the Arab occupation of Judea and Samaria.
By: Aryeh Savir
The Israeli government must take action against the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) encroachment on Israeli-controlled areas in Judea and Samaria before it is too late, a leader from the region warned after Germany signed a joint cooperation agreement with the PA in which Germany pledged about 100 million euros during the next two years to finance projects in the Gaza Strip and the PA, including Jerusalem.
The German funding will support “vital projects” including the Arab communities in Area C, under full Israeli control as per the Oslo Accords.
The German representative to the PA Oliver Owcza praised “the historical relations and bilateral relations between Palestine and Germany,” reiterating his country’s support for “a negotiated two-state solution, holding elections in Palestine, and respecting human rights and public freedoms.”
Head of the Benyamin Regional Council Yisrael Ganz stated in response that “the Israeli governments have disregarded and are disregarding even today the Arab occupation of Judea and Samaria that is progressing at an alarming rate. Germany is deep in the efforts and it is starting to become too late.”
“There is a need for rapid government mobilization for operations on the ground and for taking steps in the international arena,” he said.
This new German agreement is part of the European Union and Member States’ support for developmental interventions in Area C. The EU openly admits that it works with the PA “to develop Area C and support Palestinian communities,” in an apparent open challenge of Israeli sovereignty in the area.
The Regavim organization, which monitors and pursues legal action against illegal Arab construction, has explained that the PA’s “active and intensive efforts to establish and expand its control of Judea and Samaria, specifically in areas designated to full Israeli jurisdiction under the Oslo Accords, is well documented and undisputed.”
Regavim has told TPS that the “real story” with these EU-funded projects is that they are part of the Fayyad Plan activity.
“According to international law, according to the Oslo Accords, according to Israeli law – no matter how you slice it, the EU is funding illegal activity that is undermining the rule of law and eroding Israeli sovereignty, leading the area down a collision course, and setting the stage for conflict rather than compromise and negotiation,” the Israeli organization added.
In 2009, then-prime minister of the PA Salaam Fayyad laid out the Plan for the Creation of the State of Palestine, a methodical program for seizing control of territory in Area C, under full Israeli control as prescribed by the Oslo Accords, to form a broad and viable basis for a Palestinian state, specifically in the areas under Israeli control.
(World Israel News)
