Israeli troops’ EU repair bill tops €25m

By David Cronin

Date: 23/06/05

Israeli troops have inflicted more than €25 million worth of damage on EU-funded projects in the West Bank and Gaza since the Palestinian uprising began in 2000.

The calculation has been made by the European Commission's office in Jerusalem. But Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the commissioner for external relations, has admitted that it is an underestimate.

The assessment, she said, was limited to direct damage to physical infrastructure. It excludes "indirect losses" like delays in completing projects.

There are indications that damage to some projects has not been taken into account. While there have been reports that Israeli soldiers destroyed water cisterns in Wahdi Fuqeen Valley near Bethlehem, the Commission has not been formally notified of this. The cisterns were part of an operation financed by the EU humanitarian office (ECHO), though carried out by the charity World Vision.

Ferrero-Waldner argued that attacks on that project are counter-productive to the search for peace in the Middle East and impede efforts to improve the lot of the Palestinians, 60% of whom live below the poverty line.

The latest figure provided by the Commission is €6 million more than that cited by Chris Patten, Ferrero-Waldner's predecessor, in 2002.

Lawyers at the Commission have examined the possibility of taking legal action against Ariel Sharon's government over the losses incurred. However, they consider such a step as fraught, given that the EU executive's own rules dictate that once a project is completed or equipment is delivered, it then legally becomes the property of the beneficiary. Any court cases would, therefore, have to be initiated by the Palestinian Authority.

A spokesman for Israel's mission to the EU said that starting court proceedings "would not be the wise thing to do - both politically and legally".

Arguing that EU-assisted schemes had not been deliberately hit, he added that the focus should now be on the withdrawal of Israeli settlers from Gaza. "It is more important that we should look forward to making sure we do improve the prospects for peace and the conditions for the Palestinians, than dealing with who destroyed what," the spokesman said.

British Socialist MEP Richard Corbett recently raised the water cistern case with the Commission. "When there is a pattern emerging of things that are not military targets being deliberately targeted, then this undermines the capacity of the Palestinians to be able to stand on their own two feet economically," he said. "Undermining the development of infrastructure that is vital for the health, safety and economic development of people cannot be helpful to the peace process," Corbett added.

An ECHO official said the office usually avoided action against those who damage its projects because it does not take sides in conflicts. "Our independence and impartiality is worth more than the cost of a project," the offical said.

The European Commission's office in Jerusalem estimates that Israeli troops have caused more than €25million of damage to EU-funded projects in the West Bank and Gaza since the Palestinian uprising began in 2000.