Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Borrell i Fontelles on behalf of the European Commission

28.7.2022

The EU is committed to ensure that all agreements between the State of Israel and the EU must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967. This is in line with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2334, which calls on all United Nations states to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.

The Memorandum of Understanding that was signed on 15 June 2022 is of non-binding nature, for which, because of this non-binding nature, in general no territorial clause on the applicability is deemed necessary.

Nevertheless, the EU is strictly prohibited, also in the implementation of a non-binding instrument, from acting in a way, which would amount to recognise the illegal Israeli occupation.

Therefore, the implementation of such Memorandum of Understanding will not apply in any form to the occupied Palestinian territory, which entails that Israeli supplies of natural gas as per the implementation of the memorandum of understanding may not originate from resources appropriated from Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.