EU mute on Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes: Academic

Press TV has interviewed Saeed Nimer, a professor of political science at the Birzeit University from Ramallah, about the destruction of Palestinian houses by the Israeli regime in the occupied West Bank.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Talk to us more about the recent Israeli demolitions that have taken place in the occupied West Bank.

Nimer: Yeah, well this morning the Israeli forces they demolished eight houses in Hebron in Saeer area and these were not only the houses were demolished today. It's also they demolished another two homes in Beit Jala and another also three houses in Jerusalem area. So, all we’re talking about more than 13 houses were demolished this morning but the one in Hebron it's more important because the eight houses it's in an area near Saeer village in Hebron area. They were demolished because they want to enlarge the settlement nearby for the sake of the criminal settlers in Hebron area to enlarge their settlement and to acquire more land from the Palestinians.

All-in-all the Israelis had listed more than 25,000 houses to be demolished in the coming months whether that it was in Jerusalem area under the pretention of no permit or other areas such as in Hebron. Most of these demolitions are only planned because of the settlements and the enlargement of existing settlements or creating new supplements for the sake of those criminal settlers who are living illegally in the West Bank.

The Israeli had escalated the demolition and every day we have a news about new homes or areas or institutions, stables, garages whatever you can think of being demolished every morning and every day whether that it was in Jordan Valley, where the settlers are trying to enlarge their area and to kick out all the Palestinians or in Hebron where also there is a huge number of settlers in that area or in Jerusalem itself. This episode of the demolishing houses met with absolutely silence by the international community and they can see it, they hear about it, but they do nothing about it.

Press TV: For how much longer, Mr. Nimer, can the Israelis keep up with completely ignoring international calls when it comes to its rights violations against the Palestinians?

Nimer: Another irony that some of these houses and areas were built by the help of the EU and some of them by the French and the French Embassy was on some of the sites, which they saw that their contribution were just demolished too. And just yesterday also there was from Netanyahu's office an issue to demolish a school in the area of the Bedouin near Jerusalem. Now, the EU they know all these kind of things but they do nothing about it and I think it’s a kind of hypocrisy by the Europeans and a double standard quite clear because in their special relationship with Israel economically they stated that usually we deal with these countries in accordance with their work regarding the human rights.

And all these kinds of actions which prove that the Israelis are violating not only the human rights but also the international law and yet they did not take any one step to punish the Israelis or to reduce the relationship economically with them in accordance to their standard talking about kind of your relationship with Israel economically it depends on the human rights record and democracy and all these kinds of things, which is quite obvious that it is hypocrisy and double standard.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk