Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister González Laya will visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 9 to 11 December 2020. This visit follows Israel’s decision to suspend the plan to officially annex parts of the West Bank, and the recent Palestinian Authority’s announcement that it will resume cooperation with the State of Israel. The Spanish government welcomed these developments in the hope that they “contribute to create a climate of cooperation and understanding in the Middle East and give a renewed boost to negotiations”.
Ahead of the visit, EuroMed Rights President, Wadih Al-Asmar declared: “In reality, the actual background of Ms Gonzalez Laya’s trip, the one that matters for the millions of Palestinians on the ground, is one of unprecedented settlement approvals, including for expanding the illegal settlement of Givat Hamatos in East Jerusalem, increased speed of demolitions and seizures of Palestinian houses and deepening apartheid policies.”
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is disproportionally affecting local Palestinian communities, November 2020 saw Israel’s largest demolition in years, with the destruction of the entire Palestinian village of Hamsa al-Foqa, where 73 Palestinians, including 41 children, were made homeless in a single day.
“Discussions around renewing or enhancing EU and Member State relations with Israel for shelving its de jure annexation plans will be perceived as condoning those unlawful practices. Israel’s 53 year-long military occupation, collective punishment of the Gazan population after 14 years of illegal closure and continued domination of the Palestinian people should not be rewarded with deeper cooperation”, according to Wadih Al-Asmar.
“We recall that the suspension of formal annexation does not mean that Israel has stopped controlling every aspect of Palestinian lives. On the contrary, Israel’s de facto annexation and control of the national resources, territory and daily lives of Palestinians continue and will not cease until the international community, including the EU and EU Member States, take decisive action to hold Israel to account,” added Wadih Al-Asmar. “EuroMed Rights calls on the Spanish Government to address the root causes of the human rights situation on the ground by firmly defending self-determination, equal rights and accountability for the Palestinian people. Spain should make publicly clear that disregard of respect for human rights and international law will trigger legal, political and diplomatic consequences for its bilateral relations with Israel.”