MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the threat of demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and other Bedouin villages

11.9.2018 - (2018/2849(RSP))

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Elena Valenciano, Soraya Post, Arne Lietz, Knut Fleckenstein, Pier Antonio Panzeri, Eugen Freund, Linda McAvan on behalf of the S&D Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0384/2018

B8‑0387/2018

European Parliament resolution on the threat of demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and other Bedouin villages

(2018/2849(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,

–  having regard to the statement of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) Federica Mogherini of 7 September 2018 on the latest developments regarding the planned demolition of Khan al-Ahmar,

–  having regard to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949,

–  having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas on 5 September 2018, the High Court of Justice of Israel rejected petitions by the residents of Khan al-Ahmar, a Palestinian Bedouin village in Area C in the occupied West Bank, allowing the Israeli authorities to proceed with the execution of demolition orders against this community as of 12 September 2018;

B.  whereas Khan al-Ahmar was constructed without a building permit in the context of an extremely restrictive building regime imposed by Israel, as occupying power, on Palestinian residents of Area C in the occupied West Bank; whereas this regime makes legal Palestinian building activities nearly impossible in the area, to the benefit of Israeli settlers;

C.  whereas the state of Israel considers the relocation of the Bedouin population of Khan al-Ahmar to the designated site of Jahalin West (Abu Dis) to be an entitlement, rather than an obligation, and has stated in writing what it will provide to the families that proceed to this site, with the prospect of developing a second relocation site east of Jericho; whereas the Bedouin families concerned have rejected this offer;

D.  whereas the forcible transfer of the population of Khan al-Ahmar against its will would be a clear and serious violation of international humanitarian law under the Fourth Geneva Convention; whereas according to Michael Lynk, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, forcing the transfer of a protected community could amount to a war crime under the 1998 Rome Statute;

E.  whereas Khan al-Ahmar is located in the E1 corridor area in the occupied West Bank; whereas preserving the status quo in this area is of fundamental importance for the viability of the two-state solution and for the establishment of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state in the future;

F.  whereas in her statement of 7 September 2018, VP/HR Federica Mogherini reiterated the EU’s call for the Israeli authorities to reconsider their decision to demolish Khan al-Ahmar;

G.  whereas on 5 September 2018, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov called on Israel to cease the demolition of Palestinian property and its efforts to relocate Bedouin communities in the West Bank; whereas he also warned that demolitions undermine the prospect of the two-state solution and are against international law;

H.  whereas beyond Khan al-Ahmar, the residents of a number of other Bedouin villages live under the constant threat of demolition and evacuation, both in the Negev and in Area C in the occupied West Bank, owing to the policy of the current Israeli Government towards these communities;

I.  whereas while the activities of the Israeli Authority for Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev have produced some positive results with regard to the living conditions of the Bedouin population in Israel, they have also created controversy and tensions over the past years;

J.  whereas the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and the eviction of its residents would send another grave message to the Palestinian citizens of Israel, adding to an already tense situation after the recent adoption of the Nation State Law by the Knesset;

1.  Strongly protests the planned demolition of Khan al-Ahmar; calls on the Israeli Government to refrain from demolishing the village and forcibly transferring its population to another location;

2.  Supports the statement of VP/HR Federica Mogherini in defence of Khan al-Ahmar and her call to the Israeli authorities; commends the efforts of several EU Member States to prevent the destruction of Khan al-Ahmar;

3.  Stresses that the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and the forcible transfer of its population would be a serious breach of international humanitarian law, for which the Israeli Government would have to take responsibility in accordance with the international legal order and before the international community;

4.  Urges the VP/HR, should the demolition of and evictions from Khan al-Ahmar take place, to demand full compensation from Israel for the destruction of EU-funded infrastructure, and to make a thorough assessment of the compatibility of this action with the EU-Israel Association Agreement and whether the EU should trigger Article 2 thereof;

5.  Calls on the Israeli Government to put an immediate end to its policy of threats of demolition and eviction against the Bedouin communities living in the Negev and in Area C in the occupied West Bank, such as those living in Susiya and other villages;

6.  Reminds Israel, as occupying power, of its obligations towards the Palestinian population living under its occupation since 1967, in line with the Fourth Geneva Convention; stresses that breaches of these obligations constitute serious crimes under international humanitarian law;

7.  Reiterates its strong support for the two-state solution with the secure state of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security along the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, on the basis of the right of self-determination and full respect for international law; condemns any unilateral decision or action that may undermine the prospects of this solution;

8.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, the Knesset and the Government of Israel, the President of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.