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Directorate-General for External Policies

Subcommittee on Human Rights

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

MISSION TO ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

20 – 24 July 2015

Final report

OVERVIEW OF THE VISIT

The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament authorised on 6 June 2015 the Subcommittee on Human Rights to send a mission to Israel and the Palestinian territories on the basis of a request by the Subcommittee's Enlarged Bureau. The objective of the mission was to hold discussions and to follow up on the human rights concerns expressed in Parliament's resolutions concerning Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

The mission was led by Mr Josef Weidenholzer (S&D, AU) and included Ms Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl (EPP, DE), Ms Therese Comodini Cachia (EPP, MT), Ms Kati Piri (S&D, NL) and Ms Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea (ALDE, ES). They were accompanied by political group advisers Gabriela Virostkova (EPP Secretariat), Brigitte Bataille (S&D Secretariat) and Itziar Munoa-Salaverria (ALDE Secretariat) as well as Jarmo Oikarinen (DROI secretariat) and Benjamin Rey (Policy Department).

The meetings and site visits of the mission took place on 20-24 July in Israel and the West Bank. The mission also consulted the Israeli authorities regarding access to Gaza. Following a busy schedule, Members held a series of meetings with high profile Members of the Knesset and of the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Palestinian Chief Negotiator and Chair of the ICC follow-up committee, Israeli and Palestinian government officials and experts, lead representatives of the UN agencies, Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, civil society organisations and representatives of religious minorities.

During extensive field visits, the mission visited Bedouin villages and met their community leaders in Israel and in the West Bank. The visits included Abu Nuwar

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and Susiya villages under the imminent threat of eviction. Members also visited an Israeli cooperative agricultural community at the Northern Gaza border, which suffered from Hamas rockets during the latest Gaza war, and the divided city of Hebron in the West Bank. The mission issued a press statement (ANNEX 1) at the end of its visit.

EU Ambassador to Israel, Mr Faaborg-Andersen briefed the DROI mission at the start of the programme and participated in the key meetings in the Israeli part of the programme. Deputy Head of Delegation in the EU Representative's Office in Jerusalem, Mr Geer, hosted the Members for a reception and accompanied the mission in several meetings. The help of the two EU Delegations was crucial in the preparation and the carrying out of the programme. The EEAS and UNRWA briefed the DROI mission prior to the departure in the final preparatory meeting in Brussels.

SUMMARIES OF MEETINGS

Briefing by Ambassador Faaborg-Andersen

Venue: King David Hotel

The meeting allowed Ambassador Faaborg-Andersen to provide a briefing about the political situation in Israel, the Middle East peace process, and the EU approach to the key policy issues both generally and regarding specifically human rights. The Ambassador gave a brief overview of the breadth of the EU-Israel relationship and its evolution in recent years, including economic relations, visa-free travel, research cooperation and the "open skies" agreement. He then moved on to cover in more detail the current situation regarding Israeli-Palestinian relations, updating the Members on the current situation regarding the peace process and the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, as well as noting the impact of the agreement on Iran's nuclear programme. Among the specific human rights issues, the Ambassador elaborated in depth on the EU support to the human rights organisations in Israel, the recent proposals for a new NGO law, the situation of the minorities, refugees and irregular migrants, the concerns related to certain detention practices, and about the follow-up to the accountability issues related to the Gaza conflict of 2014. The discussion centered on the possible avenues to break the current impasse in the peace process, including the initiatives discussed among members of the UN Security Council. Issues linked to freedom of religion or belief, children's rights, and juveniles in Israeli detention were also raised.

Working dinner with civil society organizations in the presence of EU Ambassador Lars Faaborg Andersen

Venue: King David Hotel

The DROI mission met with a broad selection of Israeli civil society organisations active on human rights issues. The meeting was attended also by the EU Ambassador, who noted that many of the organisations present had received or are currentlyreceiving support by the European Union or its Member States.

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The discussion began on the situation of civil society and the proposed new NGO law. Following earlier unsuccessful proposals to curtail foreign funding of civil society organisations, one of the current government parties has proposed a new NGO law in Knesset that would entail high new taxes on foreign donations to civil society organisations. This could have a significant impact on EU support to Israeli civil society organisations. The intensified public debate on civil society in Israel was reflected in the discussion, with several NGO representatives referring to intimidation.Several interlocutors noted that civil society organisations are already required to be very transparent about their funding sources and need to list their donors on their websites. NGOs are required to report government funding on a quarterly basis, and the funding source must be made public if a foreign government sponsors a specific NGO campaign.

Regarding minority issues, representatives of Arab minority NGOs described their view of the situation, including a number of cases that have been brought to the Israeli Supreme Court. The relative share of allocations of the Israeli government budget that are used to develop predominantly Arab communities and to advance education and culture of the Arab minority was also discussed, as well as the situation of Bedouin communities in the Negev. Concerns were raised that the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the Bedouin (Umm al Hiran case) could mean that demolitions and relocations could become possible without underlying legislation.

On the recent influx of asylum seekers into Israel, the civil society representatives noted that Israel had been a strong advocate of the UN Refugee Convention during its preparation and adoption in 1951. The previous and current government have introduced further restrictive measures to stop what the government considers as illegal infiltration through Sinai. Civil society representatives raised a number of concerns both regarding the current detention centre of migrants in Negev, and themethods used to persuade migrants to repatriate. The increasing use of migrant labour in low-paid jobs was also noted. While the current legislation addressed the potential abuse in the labour market, one of the NGOs was critical of the lack of effective enforcement of legal standards, especially regarding the minimum wage and minimum working conditions.

On the human rights concerns in the Israeli-Palestinian context, several of the human rights organisations present at the meeting expressed the view that the EU could abide more closely to its principles and consequently do more to enhance respect of human rights and humanitarian norms.

Among the issues linked to occupation policies were the effects of the settlement expansion and the separation barrier/wall to the residency and land use of Palestiniansin the West Bank. The situation in Susiya, a Palestinian village under threat of eviction (pending a High Court of Justice hearing scheduled for 3 August), was specifically mentioned. (The DROI mission visited Susiya on Thursday 23 July. The village was also mentioned in the EU Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on 20 July). The trends in settlement expansion, outpost construction, and settler violence were also reviewed.

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Regarding detention practices there was acknowledgement that the Israeli authorities did grant access to prisons to the ICRC, and allowed for a complaints procedure. However, the number of actual investigations into alleged abuses was seen as low compared to the reported incidents. Discussion on the proposed force feeding legislation reflected the fierce public debate over different versions of a new law that would allow for force-feeding of security-prisoners. [Despite opposition from human rights organisations and prominent medical ethics experts in Israel, the law was approved by the Knesset on 30 July].

There was also a substantial discussion on the accountability for the alleged breaches of international norms during the Gaza conflict of 2014. Several of the NGOs considered that the internal Israeli investigations that had taken place so far were not thorough enough, and political decisions were by definition left outside the scope of the main investigation led by the Military Advocate General (MAG). According to the NGOs there had not been many convictions except for minor offenses, and there was scepticism regarding the ability of the current system of internal inquiry to act credibly, despite the reforms implemented after the so called Turkel commission. The Military Advocate General's dual role as the supervisor of the investigations into actions of Israel Defense Forces (IDF), while being also a member of the IDF General Staff (although not hierarchically subordinate to the Chief of Staff), was raised in this context. The organisations who spoke on the issue were primarily calling for a genuinely independent Israeli internal investigation to the alleged breaches of International Humanitarian Law, but some noted that there should be ICC jurisdiction, in case there is no effective domestic remedy -- in line with the principle of complementarity.

Meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Mr. Alon Ushpiz, Political Director, Principal Deputy Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Venue: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Alon Ushpiz, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign AffairsDaniel Meron, Head of International Organizations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ambassador Lars Faaborg Andersen (EU Delegation)

Mr Ushpiz began by looking at the international situation and emphasising the challenges Israel faces daily in terms of its security. He specifically pointed to some of the latest regional developments, including Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and the rise of ISIL/Da'esh. He also explained the Israeli approach to the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme. Regarding human rights and democracy issues, Mr Ushpiz stressed the importance of seeing Israel as a working democracy existing in a challenging environment. He said Israelis have pride in their judicial system, noting the possibility provided also to the inhabitants of the occupied territories to take their cases even to the level of the Supreme Court.

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With reference to the current debate surrounding the preliminary examination of the International Criminal Court, Mr Ushpiz underlined the importance of the principle of complementarity and disputed the right of other countries to judge Israel instead of its own Supreme Court. He also strongly defended the nature of the Supreme Court as an independent institution (sometimes questioned by civil society), and described its roleas a "moral compass" for the Israeli society.

Regarding the standard of behaviour of the Israeli military, Mr Ushpiz pointed to the reforms that had been implemented after the so called Turkel commission. He said there was a clear positive evolution in the behaviour of the IDF over the three most recent Gaza conflicts, and he credited these improvements in part to the integration of legal advisers to the structures of the IDF.

Mr Meron reviewed Israel's current position regarding engagement with international human rights within the UN system, and said Israel retains an ambitious agenda in the UN on the promotion of human rights, e.g. regarding the rights of persons with disabilities. However, he also stated that Israel in many cases did not feel it was treated fairly by the UN. No reference was made to the recent UN Human Rights Council resolutions, where the EU had a moderating influence on the final text. Instead, Mr Meron lamented what he considered EU "double standards" regarding Israel, citing as an example the EU's support for the annual WHO resolution on Israel's treatment of Palestinians and Syrians in the occupied Golan. He also argued that unlike Israel, the Palestinians did not investigate their own behaviour in the Gaza conflict, nor was anybody asking them to do so.

The discussion that followed also addressed the role of values in EU-Israel relations, and the current state and outlook of the peace process. There was a substantial exchange of views whether the regional dimension and the current migration and security challenges might bring the EU and Israel viewpoints closer together regarding the issues on which there were disagreements. While the Israeli interlocutors welcomed the EU engagement in tackling the common challenges, they stressed that the "Palestinian issue" could only be solved through direct negotiations, and that was likely to still take time.

Meeting with Arab minority Members of Knesset of the Joint List

Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel

MEK Ms Aida Touma-Sliman, Joint ListMEK Mr Yousef Jabareen, Joint List

Ambassador Lars Faaborg Andersen (EU Delegation)

The meeting, scheduled to take place in the office of the Joint List in the Knesset was moved to a nearby hotel following a disagreement between the Knesset Speaker andthe Joint List interlocutors concerning the presence of the Knesset Diplomatic Advisor in the meeting. The meeting consequently took place in a nearby hotel. TheJoint List interlocutors saw this incident as an illustration of the way they were being

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provoked in the Knesset. This was also reflected in the media coverage of the DROI mission.

The interlocutors focused on the challenges facing the Arab minority in Israel. Lackof equal treatment in terms of public services and disproportionally smallerallocations of public resources to develop Arab communities were the core criticisms. They also raised the issue of education budgets and felt that the relatively smaller investment was indicative of the denial of the collective rights of the Arab community as a minority in Israel. They also argued that the Arab minority was effectively excluded from the centres of decision making in Israel. They considered the success of the Joint List in the latest elections as a major achievement and stressed the importance of this unity for coordinating the efforts against discrimination. Legislative issues concerning citizenship, nationality, civil society organisations, and the Prawer-Begin plan regarding the Bedouins were all discussed.

Ms Touma also briefed the DROI mission about the Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, which she chairs, and which deals with advancing the status of women towards equality in representation, education and with regards to personal status; preventing discrimination as a result of gender or sexual preference in all spheres; reducing economic gaps, and violence against women. These issues are particularly topical for Arab women. Ms Touma is the first Arab woman to chair a Knesset committee.

Chair of the Knesset Delegation for relations with the European Parliament, MK Yaacov Peri

Venue: Knesset

Mr Peri started by reaffirming the importance he attaches to the EU-Israel relationship, and stated his intention to work for closer ties between the Knesset and the European Parliament. He nevertheless noted that the perception of the European Union in Israel was not very positive as there were issues where the views of the EU and Israel diverged strongly. Mr Peri was cautiously optimistic about a solution for the conflict with the Palestinians, but he stated clearly that an "international umbrella" was needed to advance in that direction. He specifically hoped for a regional conference with Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, helped by the EU, United States and the rest of the Western world. He estimated that approximately 70% of the issues had already been agreed with the Palestinians in previous rounds ofnegotiations, and he said Israel should be ready to evacuate settlements outside the major blocs in the West Bank. The biggest obstacle in his view was now the seriouslack of trust between the two parties. In his view the EU could do more to help in that respect.

The discussion also raised several other issues including the need for more dialogue on the issues causing discomfort EU-Israel relations, the importance of integrating civil society to the EU-Israel discussions, and the threat of religious extremism. There was substantial exchange of views on the issue of potential confidence building measures where the EU could have a role, including parliament-to-parliament cooperation in a bilateral and possibly also in a regional context.

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Speaker of Knesset, MK Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, Knesset Speaker

Venue: Knesset

The Speaker welcomed the DROI mission to the Knesset, and stressed the importance of parliamentary contacts both bilaterally and in a regional context. This was followed by a discussion on the potential of parliamentary diplomacy to overcome the current impasse in the peace negotiations. Edelstein asked the mission for help and mediation in establishing more contacts with other parliaments. He had managed to persuade some senior IPU officials to explore cooperation on water, but an envisaged meeting with the Jordanians had not taken place last year following the Gaza conflict.

The DROI mission raised the refusal of the Speaker to allow the Joint List Members of Knesset to meet the MEPs in the Knesset earlier the same day. Speaker Edelstein apologised for the fact that, for protocol reasons, he had felt obliged to cancel the scheduled meeting in the Knesset after the Joint List had refused to allow the Diplomatic Advisor of the Knesset (a professional employee of the Knesset) also to attend the meeting. The Speaker stressed that the action taken was the same he had done several times before with Members from different political groups. He accordingly stated that the action regarding the Joint List could not be seen as targeting the Joint List in any way.

Mr Edelstein was also asked about his views on the nature of the state of Israel and on the status of citizens belonging to minorities. The Speaker elaborated in detail oncombining the idea of a Jewish state with the principle of all citizens having an equal status.

Working lunch with Deputy Attorney-General Roy Schondorf, and experts drawn from Israeli government ministries and related agencies(in the presence of EU Ambassador)

Venue: King David Hotel

o Mr Roy Schondorf, Deputy Attorney-Generalo Prof. Ms Frances Raday, Israeli member of the UN Human

Rights Council's independent Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and Practice

o Ms Tziona Koenig-Yair, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner

o Mr Daniel Meron, Ambassador, Head of Bureau, UN and International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

o Ms Avivit Bar-Ilan, Director Department for Multilateral European Institutions, MFA

o Ms Sarah Weiss-Maudi, Director International Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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Ambassador Lars Faaborg Andersen (EU Delegation)Head of the Political Section, Mark Gallagher (EU Delegation)Counsellor Remmert Cohen (EU Delegation)

The meeting allowed for the DROI mission Members to raise issues discussed also in the context of the civil society meeting on Monday, with the Deputy Attorney-General and experts drawn from the government ministries and related agencies.

DROI mission raised several issues related to the internal Israeli investigations and accountability related to the Gaza conflict of 2014 and to the preliminary examination started by the ICC Prosecutor. The Deputy Attorney-General agreed on the principle of accountability for any proven breaches of international humanitarian law, but stressed the principle of complementarity as it is also defined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. He then went on to defend the credibility of the internal Israeli investigations into the alleged breaches of international standards. He described the challenges of interpretation of the evidence related to fluid conflict situations, but he argued that all cases where evidence warranted prosecution were methodically followed up. According to him, the investigations had also in some cases scrutinised the actions taken at the higher levels of the Israeli military hierarchy, albeit the prosecution of political actors was beyond the investigations that had taken place. He argued that no other country in the world had so many investigations of its own behaviour after an armed conflict. The Deputy Attorney-General also defended the structure of the Israeli investigations and the central role of the Military Advocate General, whose actions are supervised by the Attorney General and the High Court of Justice.

There was also a substantial discussion on the international human rights bodies and the International Criminal Court. The Israeli interlocutors repeated that Israel had a well-functioning legal system capable of carrying out credible investigations and prosecutions, and therefore, based on the principle of complementarity, the ICC did not have jurisdiction regarding Israel's actions in the Gaza conflict. The Deputy Attorney General also reiterated the Israeli view that the ICC could have no jurisdiction concerning complaints from the Palestinians either, as there is no Palestinian state and the Palestinian Authority therefore should not be entitled to join the ICC Statute. The limited dialogue opened by Israel with the ICC Prosecutor was still framed by this approach. The Israeli interlocutors also raised questions regarding the neutrality of the ICC and possible political influences on the Court, specifically referring to the decision by the ICC Pre-trial Chamber concerning reopening of the Mavi Marmara case.

DROI mission pointed out the concerns over the situation of civil society. Regarding the proposed NGO legislation, the Deputy Attorney-General refuted the notion that the new law would go as far as to label civil society organisations "foreign agents" if they received foreign funding. He said Israel was proud of its culture of free speech, and also opined that restricting foreign funding as such would be unconstitutional, so the legislation would focus on ensuring transparency of the funding sources. He asserted the right of the government to know where the money is coming from and what is being done with it, and drew parallels to legislation in the United States and to

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Israeli regulations concerning private lobbyists in the Knesset. The current legislative initiative was defended on those grounds.

Knesset Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence

Venue: Knesset

o MK Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud/government), Chair of the Committee, Former Minister

o MK Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union/opposition/two state caucus), Former Minister

The DROI mission met with Mr Hanegbi and Ms Livni, representing leading government and opposition parties respectively. They both have extensive ministerial experience and expertise in dealing with foreign affairs, security, and justice fields.Hanegbi (Committee Chair, Likud) noted that Europe and Israel had some difficulties of understanding each other in the current situation, but argued that many of these divergences would disappear if the peace process could be successfully restarted and concluded. Recalling his personal history and family ties to the right wing of theIsraeli political spectrum, Mr Hanegbi asserted that even within the Likud the overwhelming majority was now in favour of a historical compromise. He saidEurope should now try to convince the Palestinian leadership to come back to the negotiating table, because Israel was ready. Mr Hanegbi also argued that the EU must clearly reject what he considered as President Abbas' hope to make the EU force Israel to concessions.

There was a substantial discussion on the character of the two states in case a two state solution could be achieved. Ms Livni (Zionist Union/Labour), who was the founding and leading member of the two state caucus in the previous Knesset, argued that the conflict was a national conflict between two national movements, not a religious conflict. She therefore argued that the solution needed to follow the basic formula of "two states for two peoples." Livni noted that the EU speaks about "two states," without the "two peoples." DROI mission raised the issue of equality of civil rights in that context, noting that both states were likely to include citizens belonging to minorities. In response to a question on the definition of terrorism, Livni agreedthat this was sometimes an issue of contention that could be clarified, and suggested that the EU and Israel work together to reach such a common definition.

Visit to Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the Holocaust

Venue: Yad Vashem, Jerusalem

DROI mission visited and toured Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset. The shock experienced due to the atrocities of the Second World War profoundly influenced the UN Member States who adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1949. The Holocaust also led to the establishment Nurenberg War Crimes Tribunal, a seminal event in international criminal justice, and the UN

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Convention on the prevention and punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948.

Meeting with church representatives, Notre Dame Center

Venue: Notre Dame Center, Jerusalem

o H.E. Bishop William Shomali, Latin (Roman Catholic) Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem, Deputy of the Archbishop of Jerusalem [responsible for Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus])

o Mr Wadie Abunassar, Director of the Information Committee, Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land [Bishops' Conference])

o Pater Nikodemus Schnabel, spokesman for the Benedictine Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion

The DROI mission met with Bishop William Shomali, Deputy of the Archbishop of Jerusalem; Mr. Wadie Abunassar, Director of the Information Committee of the Bishops' Conference of the Holy Land and Father Nikodemus Schnabel from the Dormition Abbey Jerusalem to discuss issues related to freedom of religion and belief. The interlocutors welcomed European involvement and called for continued engagement in a situation where they identified a number of trends that caused concern.

The interlocutors noted that while the laws of Israel describe provide for freedom of religion, discrimination was a real issue. In their view Palestinian Christians faced the problem of double discrimination as Christians and as Arabs. Violent tendencies were investigated by the Israeli authorities, but the interlocutors expressed disappointment at the level of protection of Christians, and lamented the failure to provide cameras at monasteries where attacks had taken place or to bring the perpetrators to justice. Aparticularly prominent case discussed happened on 18 June 2015, when one the most famous Catholic churches in Israel -- the Tabgha Church on the shore of the Sea of Galilee -- was burned in what Israeli authorities investigate as an attack by a group of Jewish extremists.

Settlement expansion into Church-owned lands was raised, and the interlocutors described also in detail the long dispute and court processes linked to the so called Cremisan case, where Israeli authorities planned to extend the separation barrier through a historic valley where two Salesian monasteries and a convent school are located. The discussion also included concerns about the ability of the Christian community to maintain its educational establishments as the government was cutting back the state funding.

Working dinner hosted by DROI mission with representatives of UN agencies and ICRC, Ambassador Hotel

Venue: Ambassador Hotel

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o Ms James Turpin OHCHRo Ms June Kunugi UNICEFo Mr David Carden, OCHAo Ms Sabina Machl, UN WOMEN o Mr Frederic Boyer, International Committee of the Red

Crosso Mr Felipe Sanchez, UNRWA o Mr Lance Bartholomeusz, UNRWA

o Deputy Head of Delegation David Geer (EU Representative's office)

The DROI mission discussed a broad range of issues with the leadership of key UN agencies active in the Occupied territories. UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, is a United Nations agency mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Over 1,1 million of them live in Gaza, almost half of them in refugee camps maintained by UNRWA. Over 850 000 registered refugees live in the West Bank, about a quarter of them in the refugee camps. Mr Sanchez and Mr Bartholomeusz detailed the situation both in the West Bank and Gaza, and described the challenges caused to the UNRWA operations due to the destruction caused by the Gaza conflict, with special focus on UNRWA’s mandated services, which encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance. The support of the European Union was seen as crucial for the UNRWA to continue fulfilling its mandate. UNRWA works in many areas in close cooperation with the country office of OCHA, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, whose role is primarily to complement UNRWA’s work regarding humanitarian needs of Palestinians not covered under UNRWA’s mandate.Ms Machl discussed the work of UN Women, with a focus on its projects aimed at empowerment of women in the Occupied territories.

UN Children’s Fund UNICEF has a presence in Jerusalem, Gaza, Nablus and Hebron. It works with the Palestinian Authority and a broad range of partners to protect children and women from the impact of violence, and to prevent further deterioration in their conditions and well-being. Ms Kunugi described developments related to UNICEF concerns, including its dialogue with Israeli authorities on treatment of juveniles by the Israeli occupying forces, the military justice system covering the West Bank, as well as their detention in the Israeli prisons and detention centres, following a major report that was published by UNICEF in 2013.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territory is mandated to monitor and report publicly on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. Mr Turpin also discussed, among other things, the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Gaza war, and the trends on human rights regarding the Palestinian Authority. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has had, on the basis of its special status derived from the Geneva Conventions on laws of armed conflict and occupation, a permanent special role in Israel and the Occupied territories already for decades. Mr Boyer explained the actions of the ICRC in monitoring the respect of international standards in recent

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armed conflict situations, and commented on the ICRC’s access to visit prisons and detention centres to observe the detention practices and the welfare of detainees.

The discussion also raised broader political questions related to the Israeli-Palestinian relationship, the peace process, the status of Jerusalem, and the right of return of Palestine refugees now residing elsewhere.

Field visit to an EU-financed project managed by the NGO Bimkom in the Bedouin village of Rachme in the Negev

Venue: Rachme Village, Negev

DROI mission was briefed during the visit by Inga Navardauskiene, the Head of Operations Section in charge of EU aid projects in the EU Delegation and Hedva Radovanitz of the NGO Bimkom, which is a partner of the EU-financed projectregarding the Bedouin communities, including the village of Rachme in the Negev. Due to a traffic problem on the way, the time available for the visit was limited, butthe MEPs met with the community's leaders for a discussion in the communal tent andthe bus briefly toured the village to give an overview of the situation.

Regarding the Rachme village, there is no governmental decision on its legitimate status, but the Israeli National Planning and Building Authority has recommended its recognition in July 2014. The government decides on the recognition of the legitimate status of a Bedouin village with no involvement of the Knesset. The national and regional master plans are then amended accordingly and have to be approved by the National Planning and Building Authority. This authority operates under the Ministry of Interior but has representatives from several other authorities such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Israel Land Authority. The National Planning and Building Authority can also approve a master plan before a government decision on the status of a village has been taken. In these cases, the authority gives its recommendation for governmental decision on the Bedouin village(s) in question. However, this is not a common practice and normally the government would take a decision before the involvement of the National Planning and Building Authority. Once the National Planning and Building Authority has approved a plan, the respective regional and local authorities get involved. This can be a lengthy process and has resulted in the lack of basic services and infrastructures in some recognized villages.

Visit to the cooperative moshav of Netiv Hasara at the Northern Gaza border, affected by Gaza conflict) with a meeting with moshav inhabitants

Venue: Netiv HaAsara moshav (Community center and the home of Ms Tsameret Zamir)

o Ms Roni Keidar, a teacher and resident of Netiv HaAsara and a peace advocate in a grassroots volunteerinitiative Other Voice

o Ms Tsameret Zamir, a resident and ceramic artist in Netiv HaAsara

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DROI mission visited the moshav (cooperative farming community) of Netiv HaAsara, immediately adjacent to the northern Gaza border, which was affected by the 2014 Gaza armed conflict. Members met with teacher and community activist Ms Roni Keidar and a resident artist Ms Tsameret Zamir, who described the history and life of the community living in recent years under a constant threat of rocket attacks and in the shadow of a high separation barrier that isolates it from the Gaza strip. Ms Keidar explained the particular history of this moshav, in having been created by former Israeli settlers of settlements in the buffer zone between Sinai and Egypt, which had to be abandoned and residents relocated in line with the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement. Fifty-six of those settler families came to Netiv HaAsara on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. Two hundred families live there now. At the end of the visit Ms Keidar and Ms Zamir invited the DROI mission to see a project called “The Path to Peace”, where visitors can help turn a security wall into a peace wall by glueing ceramic figures on the wall under a dove of peace.

Meeting with Majed Bamya, Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Palestinian Authority

Venue: Ramallah

Mr Bamya, who is responsible within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on issues related to Palestinian commitments regarding international human rights and humanitarian law as well as on Palestinian prisoners, gave the DROI mission a briefing both on the Palestinian approach to the peace process, and on the Palestinian engagement with UN human rights bodies and International Criminal Court (ICC). He stated that the Palestinian position remains constructive regarding peace negotiations, describing briefly the approaches to key issues such as security, borders and Jerusalem. At the same time, Mr Bamya expressed the view that there needed to be either a change in Israel’s policy or international pressure on Israel in order to achieve a framework for meaningful negotiations.

Regarding human rights more specifically, Mr Bamya reviewed the Palestinian ratifications of international human rights treaties and asserted that the Palestinians took the implementation of these commitments seriously. He also referred to the Palestinian cooperation with the EU in the preparation and adoption of the recent relevant resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council in June, and stated that the objective regarding the preliminary examination of the ICC should be to ensure accountability by all sides.

Regarding the situation in the West Bank, Mr Bamya described in detail his views on the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, including Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and on the functioning of the military justice system that was used to trial Palestinians in the West Bank. Mr Bamya also made a plea for EU support in the campaign to release Mr Marwan Barghouti.

DROI mission raised a broad range of issues, including the indefinite postponement of elections, standards of good governance, accountability and transparency. Mr Bamya referred to the internal divisions and the failure of the consensus government as the source of many problems. He also stressed the need for Palestinians to uphold

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internal accountability in institutions of government, justice and law enforcement. He also expressed hope that accession to international human rights instruments would lead to internal improvements in Palestine.

Meeting with Members of Palestinian Legislative Council and former Minister for Prisoners Affairs, Issa Qaraqeh

Venue: Palestinian Legislative Council

o Dr Abdullah Abdullaho Mr Qays Abdul-Karimo Mr Bassam Ahmad Al Salhio Dr Najat Al-Astalo Dr Sahar A-Qaswamio Dr Abdelrahim Barhamo Dr Issa Qaraqeh (Former Minister)o Mr Ibrahim Kreisheh (PLC Secretary General)

The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) serves as the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority. However, the last parliamentary elections took place in January2006 and the PLC has de facto not functioned properly since the 2007 conflict with Hamas. New elections, which are long overdue, have been delayed indefinitely.

DROI mission was nevertheless able to meet with prominent Members of the PLC together with the former Minister for Prisoners Affairs, Mr Issa Qaraqeh. The Palestinian interlocutors noted positively the adoption of the Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions the day before, with particular reference to the village of Susiya. At the same time, several PLC Members questioned whether the EU had been consistent in implementing its guiding values in the context of EU-Israel relations. Mr Qaraqeh reviewed a range of Palestinian concerns, including the detention of PLC Members by Israel, Palestinian residency rights in Jerusalem, compliance with the Geneva conventions and other standards related to the conduct of armed conflict, as well as the Israeli detention practices and military court trials of Palestinian youth.

Round table with Palestinian human rights organisations, Ramallah

Venue: Al Haq Offices, Ramallah

The DROI mission met with prominent Palestinian civil society leaders of organisations active on human rights issues. Regarding the situation of civil society in Palestine, the civil society interlocutors expressed concern about some of the recent trends. These included the establishment of a committee by the Palestinian Authority in 2014, without the participation of civil society organisations, to review the existing NGO legislation with a view to a legal reform.

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Several issues related to the Palestinian governance and judicial systems were raised in the discussion, including the postponements of the legislative and presidential elections that have de facto created a situation where an executive authority can exercise broad powers without legislative oversight. Independence of the judiciary and the media, as well as oversight of the security and law enforcement agencies was also mentioned.

Most of the issues raised by Palestinian interlocutors nevertheless dealt with the Israeli Occupation policies, including the Israeli accountability for violations, Israeli use of administrative detention and application of military justice system to try Palestinians, including the juveniles in the West Bank. Land rights issues linked to the provision of public services, building permits, and the impact of settlement expansion were also raised.

The civil society representatives all emphasised the potential influence of the European Union and its Member States. Some of them called for a stronger engagement by the EU to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urged the EU to conduct a more principled policy in relations with Israel.

Dinner hosted by the Deputy Head of Delegation of the EU Representative's Office in Jerusalem, David Geer, with interlocutors on religious affairs, water, and the status of Jerusalem

Venue: Residence of the Deputy Head of Delegation

o Ms Julie Trottier, Director of Research at French CNRS Research Center, Jerusalem, Specialist in transboundary water management

o Mr Raffoul Rofa, Director, St Yves Centre for Human Rights, Church related human rights organisation

o Ms Randa Siniora, former director of the Palestinian Independent Commission of Human Rights

o Mr Marwan Tarazi, Director of the Center for Continuing Education, Birzeit University

o Mr Heba Husseini, Lawyer, formerly with NOREF Peacebuilding initiative

o Mr Fayrouz Sharqawi, NGO Grassroots

Briefing on UNRWA activities

Venue: UNRWA Headquarters / West Bank Field Office

o Mr Felipe Sanchez, UNRWA Director of Operationso Ms Virginia Villar-Arribas, UNRWA Chief of Donor Relations

Division

Mr Sanchez and Ms Villar-Arribas briefed the DROI Delegation about the current situation regarding UNRWA's operations both generally and specifically in the West

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Bank and Gaza. The precarious funding situation was discussed in close detail by Ms Villar, with a view to a deficit (since then reduced) of 100 million US dollars, which could be translated to 3 months of operations. This endangered even the opening of the UNRWA financed schools in Gaza and the West Bank.

Mr Sanchez noted the scale and scope of UNRWA's responsibilities in the West Bank, which cover, for example, over 100 educational establishments and 43 health facilities including a hospital. He expressed concern over the economic stagnation in the West Bank, and the increasing pressure that this put on public sector services and foreign aid. While stressing UNRWA's commitment to carry out its obligations regarding Palestine refugees, he noted the spiralling costs of maintaining the aging infrastructure in the refugee camps.

Field visit to Abu Nwar Bedouin community

o Mr Simon Onyango, UNRWA Operations Support Officero Ms Virginia Villar-Arribas, UNRWA Chief of Donor Relations

Division

DROI mission visited the village of Abu Nwar is one of 46 Palestinian Bedouin communities (approximately 7,000 people, 70 per cent of whom are Palestine refugees) in Area C, and falls under the plans for transfer to three proposed relocation sites. The Members discussed the situation in the village with the community leaders and toured the site together with UNRWA experts. The UN Secretary-General has recently expressed concern that plans to transfer thousands of Bedouin and herders would constitute breach of Israel's obligations as the occupying power. The EU Council conclusions of November 2014 on the Middle East Peace Process expressed the EU concern regarding the plans to displace Bedouins in the West Bank.

Field visit to Western Bethlehem village of Wadi Fukin

o Ms Claire Petit, UNRWA Operations Support Officero Ms Virginia Villar-Arribas, UNRWA Chief of Donor Relations

Divisiono Dr Julie Trottier, Director of CNRS Research Center in Jerusalem,

specialist in transboundary water management

UNRWA arranged also a second field visit on the West Bank to the Western Bethlehem area town of Wadi Fukin, which is today bordered by a much larger Israeli settlement from its eastern side and the 1949 Armistice Agreement Line (Green Line).The DROI Members were given a short briefing by a representative of the local community. An agricultural village with slightly over 200 households, the residents are concerned about being squeezed between the Israeli settlement and the Israeli town on the other side of the Green Line, which are both putting pressure on water resources as well as impacting on the flow of underground springs that give rise to the agricultural production.

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Ms Trottier, an academic specialist in water management, who has studied the situation in Wadi Fukin, described the situation regarding access to water, and the long term impact of the settlement expansion around the village. Wadi Fukin is a catchment area, where the water comes down and recharges the land. Eleven freshwater springs run under the village, a unique occurrence that has made the area well suited for agriculture. The springs feed an aquifer that is connected to an irrigation system that waters all of the village’s crops – which lay in terraced fields running along the valley. Expanding construction that now nearly surrounds the Palestinian town is feared to have the impact of increasingly preventing the water from reaching the bottom of the valley. The risk is that if there will be less water torecharge the aquifer, the springs will diminish and the village would seriously suffer.

Field visit to Hebron

Venue: Hebron

With the help of the Norwegian Refugee Council and the EU Representative’s Office, the DROI mission was able to visit the city of Hebron, which is a divided city as a result of a series of violent conflicts in the 1990s between the Palestinians and the Jewish settlers in the city centre, which led to the so called 1997 Hebron Protocol that divided the city into two areas: H1 for Palestinians, under the control of the Palestinian Authority, and the smaller H2 area around the Israeli settlement area , which is under Israeli control, and where Palestinians are excluded. This has de factoimposed a policy of physical separation in Hebron. The freedom of movement of Palestinians is restricted by a network of checkpoints, which has led to the closure of hundreds of businesses and houses in Hebron's Old City. The DROI mission toured the town and observed the situation also on the Shuhada Street, which was formerly a busy shopping street, but exists today as an abandoned part of the city as it remains closed to the Palestinians.

Field visit to the village of Susiya

Venue: Susiya

The Norwegian Refugee Council also facilitated DROI mission to observe the situation in Susiya, a Palestinian village of approximately 350 residents in the South Hebron Hills, which has been under threat of eviction. It is located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli control, and where Palestinians often live in villages where the Israeli authorities have often not allowed the drawing up of master plans necessary to connect them to water and power infrastructure. On 5 May 2015 Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled to allow the army to deconstruct the village, and expel its residents from Area C to Area A of the West Bank. The EU Delegation and EU Member States representatives had visited Susiya in June to draw attention to the issue. The lawyer for the Susiya village had requested the authorities to delay any demolitions of portions of the village until an impending High Court of Justice hearing scheduled for 3 August. EU Foreign Ministers called on Israel to halt the eviction plans in the Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on 21 August. The DROI

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mission reiterated this call in its statement on 24 August. On 31 August, Israeli civil society organisations reported that the High Court of Justice hearing was postponed as the authorities were exploring whether there is a basis for regularising the status of the village.

Visit to Old City of Jerusalem arranged by EU Representative's Office

EU Representative's Office toured the DROI mission around the Old City of Jerusalem, and briefed the Members about the multiethnic and multireligious character of the sites as well as about their political significance and often contested nature within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Venue: Jerusalem

Meeting with Dr Saeb Erekat, Palestinian peace negotiator and Chairman of the Palestinian ICC follow-up committee

Venue: Jericho

o Dr Saeb Erekat, Palestinian peace negotiator and Chairman of the Palestinian ICC follow-up committee

o Mr David Geer, Deputy Head of Delegation, EU Representative's office

DROI mission met with Saeb Erekat, who has served as the Chief negotiator for the Palestinians during the Middle East Peace Process. He has now also been named the Chairman of the Palestinian follow-up committee dealing with the preliminary examination started by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Mr Erekat started by giving his assessment of the current state of the Middle East Peace Process. According to him, the political situation for advocates for peace was deteriorating. He stated that it was increasingly difficult to mobilise moderate political action, while it was not possible to point to signs of positive change in Israeli policy. This said, he repeated the Palestinian commitment to the basic principles of the Oslo process, and recalled the Palestinians had already indicated constructive attitude with regard to demilitarisation, to Jerusalem as the capital of both states, and to having friendly international military presence in the Jordan valley (both UN and NATO mentioned).

Regarding international standards, Mr Erekat asserted the Palestinian leadership's commitment to values of democracy, good governance, and human rights, including women's rights. In response to a question from the DROI mission, he elaborated on the decision to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC and about the meetings with the ICC Prosecutor. Mr Erekat stated that the Palestinian approach to the ICC was “not to seek revenge”, but “to seek justice” in three key areas: expansion of illegal settlements, accountability for the Gaza war violations, and the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. Mr Erekat also emphasised the political significance of the

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Palestinian ICC follow-up committee, which has 45 members representing different Palestinian constituencies.

OUTCOME AND FOLLOW-UP

At the end of the visit, the DROI mission published a press statement (Annex 1) detailing the main aspects of the visit.

Regarding the political follow-up, European Parliament should take advantage of the openness of both Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors to continue dialogue on issues related to human rights, democracy and the peace process -- and of the suggestions to further inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Parliament, and the Subcommittee on Human Rights especially, should remain engaged, and decide on the appropriate follow-up, regarding the particular concerns expressed by the DROI mission about the proposed NGO laws both Israel and in Palestine, and regarding the plans in the occupied territories to force transfers of populations of the Palestinian villages of Susiya and Abu Nwar. In the context of that follow-up, the crucial work of international organisations, UNRWA in particular, should be duly noted.

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ANNEX 1

STATEMENT OF THE MISSION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

FOLLOWING ITS VISIT TO ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

Jerusalem, 24 July 2015

A mission of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) visited Israel and Palestine from 20 to 24 July 2015. Members held a series of meetings with Members of the Knesset and of the Palestinian Legislative Council, government officials, representatives of UN agencies, Israeli and Palestinian human rights and other civil society organisations and representatives of religious minorities.

The DROI mission welcomes the willingness of all interlocutors to engage in open and frank discussions on a broad range of issues related to human rights, including security, detainees, children's rights, gender equality and access to water, and the compliance with international law and conventions, and considers it important that human rights remain a core element in the EU's relationship with Israel and Palestine, as well as in the European Parliament's interparliamentary activities.

MEPs also stress the importance of vibrant civil society organisations in the life of democratic societies, and encourage both Israel and Palestine to ensure a working environment for civil society organisations, in particular those working on human rights, that enables them to operate freely and without harassment; and express their concern, in this context, about certain aspects of proposed NGO laws.

Members of the Delegation also recognise the crucial contribution that humanitarian and other international organisations make to help those in need, and welcome the European Union's strong support to UNRWA and other UN agencies to carry out their mission in Palestine.

The DROI mission notes the openness, and often high expectations, of both Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors concerning the EU's current and potential role in the region, and considers it important for the EU to remain active in the support of human rights and in the search for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of international law.

Finally, the DROI delegation expresses its support to the EU Council's conclusions of 20 July pointing out that respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, including accountability, is a cornerstone for peace and security in the region, and

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reiterates the EU Council's call to halt plans for forced transfer of population in the Susiya and Abu Nwar communities visited by the DROI mission.

The delegation led by Josef Weidenholzer (S&D, AU) and composed of Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl (EPP, DE), Therese Comodini Cachia (EPP, MT), Kati Piri (S&D, NL) and Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea (ALDE, ES).

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ANNEX 2

DROI MISSION TO ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

20-24 July 2015

COMPOSITION OF THE DELEGATION

Members

Mr Josef Weidenholzer, Chair, S&D, AustriaMs Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl, EPP, GermanyMs Therese Comodini Cachia, EPP, MaltaMs Kati Piri, S&D, NetherlandsMs Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea, ALDE, Spain

Secretariat staff

Mr Jarmo Oikarinen, Secretariat of the Subcommittee on Human RightsMr Benjamin Rey, Policy Department for External Relations

Ms Gabriela Virostkova, Political Adviser, EPP Ms Brigitte Bataille, Political Adviser, S&DMs Itziar Munoa Salaverria, Political Adviser, ALDE

Interpreters

Ms Serene HuleilehMs Rima ReymondMs Vera Nofal

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ANNEX 3

FINAL PROGRAMME

PROGRAMME AS REALISED

Monday 20 July 2015

Afternoon :

Individual arrivals to the hotel

Evening:

17.45 Departure to King David Hotel by busContact person: Mr Remmert Cohen (EU Delegation)

Start of programme 18:30

18.30 Briefing by Ambassador Faaborg-Andersen King David Hotel, Jerusalem

19.30 Dinner with civil society organizations in the presence of EU Ambassador Lars Faaborg Andersen, Ambassadors Garden (lobby level), King David Hotel

End of programme

Tuesday 21 July 2015

7.15 Departure for Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)

8.00 Mr. Alon Ushpiz, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

9.00 – 10.00 Meeting with Joint Arab List Members of Knesset (MK): Aida Touma-Sliman, Yousef Jabareeen

10.15 Chair of the Knesset Delegation for relations with the European Parliament, MK Yaacov Peri, Knesset

11.00 – 11.30 Speaker of Knesset, MK Yuli Edelstein, Knesset

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12.30–14.00 Working lunch with Israeli government and other interlocutors (in the presence of EU Ambassador), King David Hotel

Ambassador Lars Faaborg Andersen (EU Delegation)Head of the Political Section, Mark Gallagher (EU Delegation)Counsellor Remmert Cohen (EU Delegation)

o Mr. Roy Schondorf, Deputy Attorney-Generalo Prof. Ms. Frances Raday, member of the UNHRC Working

Group on Discrimination against Women in law and practice

o Ms. Tziona Koenig-Yair, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner

o Mr. Daniel Meron, Ambassador, Head of Bureau, UN and International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

o Ms. Avivit Bar-Ilan, Director Department for Multilateral European Institutions, MFA

o Ms. Sarah Weiss-Maudi, Director International Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

14.30–15.30 Knesset Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence

o MK Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud/government), Chair of the Committee, Former Minister

o MK Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union/opposition/two state caucus), Former Minister

15.45 Departure to Yad Vashem

16.00 – 17.30 Visit to Yad Vashem

17.30 Departure to Notre Dame Center

18.15 – 19.15 Meeting with church representatives, Notre Dame Center

o H.E. Bishop William Shomali, Latin (Roman Catholic) Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem, Deputy of the Archbishop of Jerusalem [responsible for Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus])

o Mr Wadie Abunassar, Director of the Information Committee, Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land [Bishops' Conference])

o Pater Nikodemus Schnabel, spokesman for the Benedictine Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion

19.15 departure to Ambassador hotel for UN agencies lunch

20:00-21:30 Working dinner hosted by DROI mission with representatives of UN agencies and ICRC, Ambassador Hotel

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Deputy Head of Delegation David Geer (EU Representative's office)

o Ms James Turpin OHCHRo Ms June Kunugi UNICEFo Mr Felipe Sanchez, UNRWA o Mr David Carden, OCHAo Ms Sabina Machl, UN WOMEN o Mr Frederic Boyer, International Committee of the Red

Crosso Mr Lance Bartholomeusz, UNRWA

End of programme

Wednesday 22 July - Israeli Part

6.45 Departure from Ambassador hotel in Jerusalem

Briefing in the bus by Ms Inga Navardauskiene (Attaché, Head of Operations Section in EU Delegation) and Ms Hedva Radovanitz,Director of the NGO Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights (partner of the EU-financed project regarding the Bedouin communities)

9.15 Arrival in Bedouin village, Negev: meeting with the communityleaders at the communal tent; tour of the village

10.15 Departure for moshav Netiv Hasara

11.30 Arrival in Netiv Hasara (at Northern Gaza border, affected by Gaza conflict): refreshments; tour of the moshav; meeting withmoshav inhabitants

12.45 Departure from Netiv Hasara

14.30 Arrival at Jerusalem meeting point: Al-Jib (Givat Zeev) crossing; change of bus

Wednesday 22 July - Palestinian part

15:15 Meeting with Mr Majed Bamya, Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

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16:30 Meeting with Members of Palestinian Legislative Council and former Minister for Prisoners Affairs, Dr Issa Qaraqeh

17:30 Round table with Palestinian human rights organisations, Ramallah

20:30 Arrival at the hotel

21:00-22:30 Dinner hosted by the Deputy Head of Delegation of the EU Representative's Office in Jerusalem, David Geer, with interlocutors on religious affairs, water, Jerusalem

o Julie Trottier, Director of Research at French CNRS Research Center, Jerusalem, Specialist in transboundary water management

o Raffoul Rofa, Director, St Yves Centre for Human Rights, Church related human rights organisation

o Randa Siniora, former director of ICHRo Marwan Tarazi, Director of the Center for Continuing Education,

Birzeit Universityo Heba Husseini, Lawyer, formerly with NOREF Peacebuilding

initiative o Fayrouz Sharqawi, NGO Grassroots

End of programme

Thursday 23 July 2015

8:00 Briefings and Field trip with UNRWA: (10:00 Abu Nwar, 11:45 West-Bethlehem/Wadi Fukin)

12.30 Field presentation on a water project at Wadi Fukin by Julie Trottier, Director of CNRS Research Center in Jerusalem, specialist in transboundary water management

15.00 Visit to Hebron arranged with Norwegian Refugee Council (with EU Representation accompanying the DROI Delegation)

16.30 Visit to the village of Susiya arranged with Norwegian Refugee Council (with EU Representation accompanying the DROI Delegation)

19:00 Internal meeting of DROI mission to discuss the press statement (Hotel Ambassador)

19:30 Time reserved for bilateral meetings of Members

End of programme

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Friday 24 July 2015

08:00 Visit to Old City of Jerusalem arranged by EU Representative's Office

11:00 Meeting with Dr Saeb Erekat, Palestinian peace negotiator and Chairman of the Palestinian ICC follow-up committee (Residence, Jericho)

End of programme