02 June 2023; MEMO: A confidential European Union report warned of what it described as "drastic acceleration" of Israeli pressure on the Palestinian population in Jerusalem in the past year, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported.
The report, which was seen by El Pais, was delivered to the EU's External Action service (EUAA) by the diplomatic representatives in Jerusalem and Ramallah of nearly all EU member states in addition to the EU delegate.
It stated that EU member states should "unequivocally" oppose unilateral plans that the paper described as being aimed at "altering the status and borders of Jerusalem."
"In their latest annual report on the disputed city, the European heads of mission to the Palestinian Authority (in East Jerusalem and Ramallah) warn that the events of 2022 'highlighted the growing fragility of the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, the exacerbation of the socioeconomic conditions of the Palestinians, and the need for their protection,'" El Pais reported.
The confidential EU report also reveals Palestinians' "separation from the political, social and economic life of the city" and highlights Israeli violations like the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied eastern part of Jerusalem and the illegal construction of settler units in their place, according to El Pais.
