UN official warns of Israel's "alarming" West Bank demolition trend

Brussels, (IINA) - Israel is ratcheting up its demolitions policy in the West Bank at an "alarming" rate, according to the UN’s humanitarian envoy for the region, Robert Piper, who described the trend as a "nail in the coffin" for the two-state solution with the Palestinians, DPA reported Monday.
Piper was visiting Brussels to draw attention to the issue, at a time of renewed focus on the stalled Middle East peace process. The region has experienced a recent surge in violence that killed more than 202 Palestinians.
Israel has long drawn international criticism for the demolition of homes and other Palestinian buildings in the West Bank, while at the same time supporting the expansion of Jewish settlements in the region.
This year, there has been a "dramatic" increase in the demolitions, Piper told DPA in a recent interview. "Since the beginning of 2016 ... the trend has shot off the graph", he said. "The total number of demolitions of last year have already now been exceeded".
He described Israel's behavior as a "sophisticated strategy" of pressuring people to move by destroying homes, removing people's livelihoods or refusing to issue permits. "It's not guns and people being moved on trucks, it's a much more subtle pressure to clear certain areas in the West Bank", he said.
This "pattern of change" is undermining the long-term political objective of creating two separate Israeli and Palestinian states, he added. "What we are seeing ... is another nail in the coffin of the two-state solution."
Piper highlighted the important role of the European Union in maintaining pressure on the Israeli authorities.
"Europe has got a lot of leverage on Israel, both politically, financially and culturally," he said, noting that a decision taken last year to label settlement products distinctively from Israeli goods in the EU had sent a "very powerful signal".
He stressed the need to keep applying all levers available, to ensure that Israel's actions have a cost.
This could include seeking compensation for EU-funded aid materials that have been destroyed or confiscated by the Israeli authorities in the West Bank.
By a conservative estimate, at least 200,000 euros ($228,000) worth of EU funding were targeted in January and February alone, he said.
AG/IINA

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