Germany calls for entry restrictions for forced migrants
Violent Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank are on the increase. The USA is taking action. They want to restrict the entry of Israeli extremists. The European Union should follow this example, according to the Federal Foreign Office.
The German government would like to extend the entry restrictions imposed by the USA on extremist Israeli settlers to the EU. A spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Office said in Berlin that Germany welcomed the attitude of the United States and the measures adopted. "From our point of view, it is important to drive this debate forward at European level as well," the spokesperson added with a view to the meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday. The German government will play an active role there.
There has been an alarming increase in acts of violence, said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in Washington. This includes "an unprecedented level of violence by extremist Israeli settlers" targeting Palestinians and their property and displacing entire communities, as well as violence by Palestinian militants against Israelis. The new restrictions are aimed at people involved in "undermining peace, security or stability in the West Bank", according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry. Direct relatives could also be affected by the restrictions.
The US government has consistently denounced the violence from both sides and called on the Israeli government to do more to bring extremist settlers to justice. However, "insufficient action" had been seen, Miller said.
During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem, among other territories. Around 600,000 Israelis live there today in more than 200 settlements. The Palestinians claim the territories as part of their own state. In 2016, the UN Security Council described these settlements as a violation of international law and called on Israel to stop building settlements.
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- The EU should also consider imposing entry restrictions on Israeli settlers involved in violent activities in the Palestinian territories, as suggested by Germany, to support peace and stability in the region.
- The Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, which is strongly opposed by Palestinians and condemned by international bodies such as the EU and the UN, has been a long-standing source of tension in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Last month, Germany joined the EU in suspending some funding to Israel due to Israeli war actions in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, a move that was criticized by Israel as politically motivated.
- The German Foreign Minister urged Israel to halt the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and called on the international community to help protect Palestinian civilians living there from Israeli violence, during a press conference in Berlin.
Source: www.ntv.de
