(Israel Hayom) Nadav Shragai - Over the past 20 years, illegal Palestinian construction has slowly closed the corridor between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, an Israeli city of 40,000. The European Union funnels millions of dollars into the area, essentially funding hundreds of Palestinian housing units built in defiance of Israeli sovereignty over Area C, which under the 1993 Oslo Accords was left under full Israeli civil and security control. While Israel has heeded U.S. and EU demands to freeze construction in the area, it is the Palestinians, with the active assistance of the EU, that are reshaping the area via illegal construction. The Palestinian Authority, assisted by EU funding, is racing to populate the area and set facts on the ground. The area between Maaleh Adumim and the Dead Sea is now riddled with illegal Bedouin and Palestinian settlements that are illegally tapped into Israel's water and power grids. Israel's Foreign Ministry has demanded that the EU cease funding illegal Palestinian construction in the area. In response, the Europeans said they are planning to take legal action against Israel, seeking restitution for Israel's decision to raze illegal structures built with European funds.
2016-01-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive