EU Urges Israel to Stop Destroying Palestinian Houses, Schools in West Bank

MOSCOW (Sputnik) -The European Union has called on Israel to stop the demolition of buildings belonging to Palestinian families in the Jordan Valley, as well as refrain from demolishing Palestinian schools built with Europe's financial support, the EU External Action Service (EEAS) said in a press release on Thursday.

"Such developments constitute an impediment towards the two-state solution. The EU reiterates its call on Israel to halt all such demolitions, including of EU-funded structures, in particular in light of the humanitarian impact of the current coronavirus pandemic," the press release read.

Noting that Israeli forces destroyed more than 70 Palestinian structures in the Khirbet Hamsa al-Foqa settlement earlier this week, the EEAS described the continuous practice as "confirm[ing] once again the regrettable trend of confiscations and demolitions since the beginning of the year."

The EEAS expressed particular concerns about Israel's plans to demolish a Palestinian school in the Ras Al-Teen community in the central West Bank, which was funded by the EU and several member states, saying it would violate children's right to education and secure school environment.

The demolition of Palestinian homes and other buildings deemed by the Israeli forces as built "illegally" in the Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank is a regular practice. Palestinians living in these areas have complained about difficulties with getting construction permits from the Israeli authorities, which they think is because Israel pursues skewing the local demographic balance to its advantage.