When Europe Develops, and Israel Destroys
IN FOCUS, 9 Apr 2012
Charlotte Silver – Inter Press Service-IPS
The European Commission has released a document that lists projects it funded that were destroyed or damaged by the Israel Defence Forces between May 2001 and October 2011.
The list documents 82 such instances, amounting to a monetary loss of 49.2 million euro, 30 million of which came directly from European aid.
British Member of the European Parliament, Chris Davies, released the list following his inquiry to the European Commission. Davies subsequently published the findings on his webpage where he stated that the list was “the most detailed response I have ever received from the European Commission.”
The recently published record is yet another indicator of the disregard with which Israel treats its European allies’ activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. Last year, it was calculated that Israeli-imposed travel restrictions cost international aid organizations 4.5 million dollars a year.
Davies notes that while the economic damage is not significant in the larger context of the conflict, the Commission’s meticulous record is illuminating.
The bulk of the damage was inflicted during the years of the second Intifadah (uprising, 2000-2005) as well as Israel’s attack on the besieged Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008-2009.
The projects range in scale. In the winter of 2001, Gaza’s International Airport was devastated, costing contributing countries (Spain, Sweden and Germany) 9.5 million euros.
Smaller-scale but significant destruction also incurred. For example, during the second Intifadah, Israeli attacks destroyed a fleet of Red Crescent ambulances financed by the European Commission.
Israel’s attack on Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009 destroyed nearly two million euros worth of European- funded projects, including several waste management and water treatment plants.
Apart from European-funded projects, demolition of homes, schools and water collecting devices in Area C of the West Bank occurs on a regular basis. Sixty-two percent of the West Bank is classified as Area C – meaning it comes under full Israeli military and civilian control. Area C is home to 150,000 Palestinians and 300,000 Israeli settlers.
The IDF and Israeli Civil Administration maintain the right to demolish any structure built without a permit. International, Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations all concur that building permits are virtually impossible to acquire.
In 2011 alone, 746 Palestinian structures and homes and 46 rainwater collective devices were destroyed by Israeli forces. Hundreds more homes throughout Area C are awaiting demolition.
Palestinians and solidarity activists agree that it is crucial to help Palestinians living in Area C to stay on their land. One such organisation, the Jordan Valley Solidarity Project, has taken the saying “To exist is to resist” as their guiding principle – helping to build homes, schools and other needed structures, in spite of the constant risk of demolition – in order to help Palestinians stay on the land.
The European Commission’s list suggests that member states of the EU are not funding projects in Area C, even though it is arguably the most needy population.
This was confirmed in a study conducted by Birzeit University last year on the effectiveness of development aid, which included interviews with both donors and recipients of aid.
The study found that the policy of most international aid agencies was to not build without a permit because it would constitute a political confrontation to the occupation, in addition to being laden with bureaucracy.
There are exceptions to this. There are two cases of the Spanish and German governments funding solar panels in villages Area C of the Hebron hills. However, in news that stunned many, both projects received demolition orders this year.
Speaking critically of the way aid has been given to the Palestinian territories, representative from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Peter Lundbergh said, “Development should help Palestinians stay on their land; too many have left Area C.”
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