SouthernWorldwide.com – Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister has voiced strong criticism regarding recent European Union sanctions, asserting that they reveal antisemitism masked as anti-Zionism. This accusation comes after the EU imposed penalties on Israeli civil society groups that are known to oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The European Union has officially sanctioned four Israeli civil society organizations along with three of their senior representatives. The stated reasons for these sanctions include alleged support for “settler violence” and claims that these groups undermine the prospects for a Palestinian state. Regavim, one of the organizations targeted, has characterized the EU’s action as a direct infringement upon Israeli sovereignty.
The Deputy Foreign Minister articulated her view that the EU is overstepping its bounds by attempting to dictate the internal political systems and policies of Israel, a nation that is considered an ally. She expressed that the EU’s displeasure arises when Israel points out the illogical nature of the situation.
In a statement, the European External Action Service (EEAS) detailed its rationale. It asserted that “extremist settlers and the organizations supporting them contribute directly to violence, forced displacement and dispossession across the West Bank.”
The EEAS further clarified that the sanctions are aimed at “entities and individuals that facilitate, finance or support activities contributing to settler violence and serious human rights abuses against Palestinians.”
The EU’s statement also specifically accused Regavim of actively lobbying for the demolition of Palestinian property. It referenced a particular instance involving an EU-funded school located in Jabbet al-Dhib, near Bethlehem.
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In response to the EU’s claims about the school, the Deputy Foreign Minister explained that the structure was built illegally on Israeli state land within Area C. This area is part of a nature reserve connected to the Herodian complex. She emphasized that legal procedures were followed concerning the building, which ultimately led to its demolition.
The Oslo Accords, negotiated in 1993, divided the West Bank into three distinct areas. Area A falls under full Palestinian control, Area B is under Palestinian civil authority with Israeli security oversight, and Area C remains under complete Israeli administrative and security control.
Furthermore, an engineering assessment reportedly found the school to be structurally unsafe. The Deputy Foreign Minister highlighted that housing students and teachers in such a facility posed “downright dangerous” conditions.
She elaborated on what she perceives as a deliberate strategy by the EU and the Palestinian Authority. According to her, they are systematically violating the law to gain control of Area C by constructing various structures, including schools, mosques, and homes, often displacing innocent residents into these areas.
Regavim has published its own report, alleging the existence of 100 illegal schools within Area C. The organization claims these schools are being utilized by the Palestinian Authority as part of a larger strategy to achieve de facto annexation of the territory.
A separate study conducted by Regavim in 2023 mapped approximately 103,000 unauthorized structures built by Arabs across the West Bank. The report asserts that the Palestinian Authority, often with external backing, has been instrumental in facilitating extensive illegal construction activities.
In a significant move, Israel’s cabinet approved a comprehensive set of measures last month. These measures are designed to counteract efforts by the Palestinian Authority aimed at establishing de facto control over disputed territories.
Under the new resolution, any initiatives attributed to Ramallah for the creation of a parallel land registry in Area C have been declared legally invalid and without standing.
A spokesperson, Haskel, stated that the true objective behind the EU’s actions is not to combat violence but to target legitimate political opposition. She argued that the sanctioned organizations do not endorse violent actions. Instead, they have consistently challenged the viability of a two-state solution and have brought attention to the EU’s role in constructing illegal structures in Judea and Samaria, using the biblical names for the territories.
Haskel accused the EU of disregarding the Oslo Accords and attempting to unilaterally alter the situation on the ground with the intention of seizing Israeli land.
While acknowledging that, like in any society, there may be individuals who break the law, Haskel stressed that they represent a small minority. She emphasized that Israel actively investigates and prosecutes such cases. She further contended that lumping hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Israeli residents in the West Bank together with Hamas, a designated terror organization responsible for mass murder, distorts fundamental moral distinctions.
She concluded by stating that this creates a “false and dangerous symmetry” that diminishes the severe threat posed by global terrorism. Simultaneously, it politically targets individual Israelis. She deemed this an unacceptable moral equivalence that blurs the critical line between a sovereign democracy protecting its citizens and a brutal terror apparatus aiming for its destruction.
