European Union sponsors illegal Palestinian land grabs and terrorist groups: Why?

Dear Friend of Israel, Friend of FLAME:

The European Union (EU) spends hundreds of millions of euros helping the Palestinians violate international law by promoting terrorism and funding the illegal seizure of protected lands.

Clearly, the EU is more interested in supporting the Palestinian war to defeat Israel than in promoting the cause of peace between these neighbors. Why else would the Europeans so aggressively violate the Oslo Accords—to which they were signatory—by encouraging Palestinian bad behavior? In 1993, Israel and the Palestinians signed the first of the Oslo Accords, a series of agreements designed to ultimately bring about a final, peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Among the sponsors of the Oslo Accords was the EU, which signed as a witness to the agreements. Needless to say, after 30 years, the Oslo Accords have failed to bring about any semblance of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Despite Israel’s three generous post-Oslo offers of peace in exchange for virtually all the West Bank and a capital in Jerusalem—in 2000, 2001 and 2008—the Palestinians rejected them all.

While the Europeans have always said they support building Palestinian institutions to support an independent state, in recent years, they have swerved to a more perversely cynical strategy. Indeed, the EU is now hypocritically helping the Palestinians to violate the very agreements that both solemnly signed on to three decades ago.

Today, the EU is funding organizations with links to Palestinian terrorists. It is also surreptitiously financing and promoting illegal Palestinian construction in parts of Judea and Samaria (aka, the West Bank) in which Israel has exclusive control. All three actions directly violate the Oslo Accords.

Only a concerted effort by Israel and its supporters will halt the EU’s support of terrorist-affiliated organizations, and stop the illegal Palestinian takeover of land in Judea and Samaria.

The Oslo Accords gave the Palestinians self-rule in parts of Judea and Samaria, which was divided into three areas: Area A, where the overwhelming majority of Palestinians live, was to be administered and secured by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area B was to be administered by the PA, but secured by Israel. Area C, where relatively few Palestinians live and which constitutes 60% of Judea and Samaria, was to be administered and secured exclusively by Israel.

In 1999, the European Council, the top decision-making body in the EU, issued the Berlin Declaration, which stated, “The EU is convinced that the creation of a democratic, viable and peaceful sovereign Palestinian state . . . would be the best guarantee of Israel’s security.” The Council also expressed support for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.

We should note that the Oslo Accords never guaranteed the Palestinians a state, let alone one based on the pre-1967 frontiers. Moreover, the EU ignores the fact that the Palestinians have already rejected offers of peace and a state with roughly pre-1967 borders.

In the Summer of 2022, a confidential EU document called the European Joint Development Programme for Area C Discussion Note was leaked to the media. The document stated the EU’s plan was aimed at “defending the rights of Palestinians living in Area C and preserving Area C as part of a future Palestinian State, in line with the Oslo Accords.”

But, in the absence of negotiations, the Oslo Accords gave exclusive control of Area C to Israel. Thus, EU’s efforts to make this area part of a future Palestinian state circumvent a negotiated settlement—which contradicts the Oslo Accords.

The EU’s rogue land grab has been quite successful in helping the Palestinians unlawfully seize territory. According to Regavim, an Israeli organization that monitors Palestinian activity in Area C, illegal Palestinian construction there increased by 80% last year. The Palestinians have built a total of 81,317 illegal structures covering 38,000 acres.

In 2021, Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence released a report confirming that some 500 million euros in EU funding helps the Palestinians create facts on the ground in Area C. The report named Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Belgium and Germany as primary donors financing illegal Palestinian projects in Area C.

In addition, the EU funds Palestinian organizations linked to terrorists, which is also a violation of the Oslo Accords.

In July last year, EU members Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden decided to restore funding to several Palestinian organizations banned by Israel, despite the Israeli Shin Bet informing the EU that these organizations had strong ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which has been labelled by the U.S. and the EU as a terrorist organization.

In fact, three officials in one organization funded by the EU, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), were implicated in the murder of 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb in 2019.

How can Israel respond to the EU’s Oslo Accords violations? Stronger enforcement of Israeli law in Area C is one way, and the new Israeli government has promised to do this. Recently, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich put a moratorium on Palestinian construction in Area C.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated on his Twitter account that authorities already evacuated 38 illegal Palestinian structures . He went on to say that “the situation in which Palestinians run amok with illegal construction in an attempt to establish facts on the ground—is over.”

I hope you will express to friends, family, colleagues—and in letters to the editor—that rather than encouraging Palestinian independence, the Europeans have become proxies in the Palestinian terrorist war against Israel. As such, they are subverting chances for peace negotiations . . . and peace itself.

Emphasize, too, that the U.S. State Department needs to pressure EU members to stop violating the Oslo Accords—to cease illegal land grabs in Area C and funding of terrorist organizations.

I hope you’ll also take a minute, while you have this material front and center, to forward this message to friends, visit FLAME’s lively Facebook page and review the P.S. immediately below. It describes FLAME’s new hasbarah campaign—”Democracy Thrives in Israel”—which exposes false claims that Israel deprives Arab Israeli citizens and Palestinian Arabs of their rights.

Best regards,

James Sinkinson, President
Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)

P.S.

Despite Israel’s guarantee of civil liberties and equal treatment for all its citizens—including two million Arab Israelis—Israel is still falsely accused of being an apartheid state. Despite Israel and the Palestinians agreeing that the Palestinian Authority will administer its own civil affairs, including elections, Israel is accused of violating human rights because Palestinians can’t vote in Israeli elections. I think you’ll agree that truth is the only antidote to this lie. FLAME’s new hasbarah message—called “Democracy Thrives in Israel” publicizes a new, independent “Democracy Index” in which Israel is named the world’s 23rd most successful democracy—ahead of the United States, Italy, Spain and 139 other nations. This new editorial message also clarifies that Palestinians’ repression is due overwhelmingly to their two ruling dictatorships. (Palestinians are ranked #109 in the Democracy Index—as “authoritarian.”) I hope you’ll review this convincing, fact-based editorial, which FLAME published nationwide in the New York Times, Washington Post, New York Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and San Jose Mercury News. This piece will also be sent to all members of Congress, Vice President Harris and President Biden. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel’s behalf is critical, I urge you to support us. Remember: FLAME’s powerful ability to influence public opinion—and U.S. support of Israel—comes from individuals like you, one by one. I hope you’ll consider giving a donation now, as you’re able—with $500, $250, $100, or even $18. (Remember, your donation in 2022 to FLAME is tax deductible.) To donate online, just go to donate now. Now, more than ever, we need your support to ensure that the American people, the U.S. Congress and President Biden stay committed to fighting antisemitic, anti-Israel actions by individuals, politicians and commercial companies. As of today, more than 15,000 Israel supporters receive the FLAME Hotline at no charge every week. If you’re not yet a subscriber, won’t you join us in receiving these timely updates, so you can more effectively tell the truth about Israel? Just go to free subscription.