The European Union gives “due attention” to Amnesty International’s recent report on the “apartheid” system against Palestinians in Israel, an EU official said on Tuesday.
The EU gives “all the due attention” to Amnesty International’s report on Israel’s creating an apartheid system against Palestinians “as we do in the case of all the other stakeholders or NGOs,” Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for the EU’s diplomatic service, told reporters at the daily news briefing of the European Commission.
He reassured that the bloc continues to “closely monitor” the developments in Israel and on the occupied Palestinian territories.
He reminded all actors in the region to respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
“Accountability for violations committed are a cornerstone for peace and security in the Middle Eastern region,” Stano stressed.
London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International published on Tuesday a report claiming that Israeli authorities enforce “a system of oppression and domination against the Palestinian people wherever it has control over their rights.”
“Massive seizures of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forcible transfer, drastic movement restrictions, and the denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians are all components of a system which amounts to apartheid,” the organization stated.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch issued a similar report labeling Israel as an “apartheid” state a year ago.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is seen as occupied territory under international law, thus making all Jewish settlements there illegal.
Like Turkiye and much of the international community, the EU does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the territories it has occupied since 1967.
Since 2001, the EU has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement activity and to dismantle the already existing ones.