JERUSALEM, May 15, 2012 (WAFA) – The international humanitarian agency Oxfam Monday welcomed what it described as the “unprecedented stance” taken by European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, which strongly criticized Israeli government policies towards ‘Area C’ of the occupied West Bank, said an Oxfam statement.

“Demolition of Palestinian infrastructure by Israeli authorities, including EU-funded aid projects, such as water cisterns and animal shelters, has been on the rise, hindering Palestinian development and increasing the risk of displacement for already vulnerable communities,” said the statement.

Tidhar Wald, Oxfam’s EU humanitarian policy advisor, said: “Europe has issued today a comprehensive rejection of successive Israeli government policies towards the occupied West Bank. As a humanitarian and development organization present in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for over 50 years, Oxfam witnesses daily the impact that Israeli settlement expansion, building restrictions and demolitions have on the Palestinian communities we work with.”

He added that the EU criticism “is a first step towards helping these communities claim their basic rights and can go a long way towards promoting the economic and social development that Palestinians desperately need.”

Wald said EU governments must now match words with action to make their recommendations a reality on the ground for the benefits of those most in need.

M.S.