European Commission must release documents on Israel’s destruction of EU infastructure in Gaza, says Boylan

Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has condemned a decision by the European Commission not to release documents relating to Israel’s destruction of EU-funded infrastructure in Gaza.

Boylan, who is Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine, slammed the decision as “an affront to transparency and accountability”.

The request was made as part of an investigation by the EUObserver into the amount of EU-funded infrastructure in Palestine which Israel has destroyed or damaged. The investigation found that at least €150 million worth of infrastructure had been destroyed or damaged in the West Bank and Gaza. However, it emerged this week that the European Commission were refusing to release key documents relating to the investigation.

Boylan said “the decision by the European Commission to not release documents relating to the destruction of EU infrastructure in Gaza is an affront to transparency and accountability. This is EU taxpayers’ money and the Commission seem to believe that Israel should have the right to destroy it and face no consequences.”

“As they have carried out their genocide in Gaza and entrench their occupation of the West Bank, Israel has destroyed at least €150 million of EU-funded infrastructure and have not paid back a single cent,” the Dublin MEP said.

“This is what impunity looks like. This is what happens when you refuse to stand up to countries in flagrant breach of international law,” she stated.

“The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica was in Israel last week and, despite having called for Israel to pay the money back, described Israel as one of the EU’s key partners. This is in the same week that the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel issued a report stating that Israel continues to commit genocide against the Palestinian people and deliberately targets Palestinian children.2

“The Commission must be upfront with the public about how much Israel is costing us and must move past half-hearted statements about Israel paying the money back and instead directly deduct it from other sources of EU funding that Israel enjoys.

“It is in the public interest to know exactly how much of the public’s money Israel has bombed or bulldozed,” Boylan said.