The EU announced guidelines to take effect on 1 January 2014 that forbid any EU grants being awarded to Israeli projects in occupied Palestinian territory and prevent loans or prizes being given to Israeli entities with operations in the West Bank, Golan Heights or East Jerusalem. However Israel and the US insist that the guidelines be watered down and the implementation delayed. Former senior European officials have been urging the EU to stand firm on their settlement guidelines that will prevent our taxpayer funds from going to the settlements.
ICAHD UK has sent letters to our FCO and to Catherine Ashton at the EU about this and we urge you to continue contacting your MPis and MEPis to ensure this proposal does not get delayed. The European Coordinating Committee on Palestine (ECCP) has just prepared a letter which can be accessed online which will then be forwarded to your MEP. Please click on this link
At the end of August, the Jerusalem municipality decided to support 1,500 new settlement units whilst Palestinians are repeatedly not granted building permits and hold demolition orders. In the huge backlash to the two Israeli soldiers regrettably killed in Hebron during September, there is virtual silence about these attacks on, and violations against, Palestinian people, property and land.