“For the last couple of years supporting the Palestinian private-sector and facilitating Palestinian trade has been a key policy objective for the EU. We have stood by Palestinian businessmen in the West Bank but also in Gaza and we intend to continue through the activities put in place by today’s agreement,” said Gatt-Rutter. “Over the course of the next 3.5 years we will build on the important work the PA and the EU have initiated to strengthen Palestinian private enterprises to become more competitive and to widen their market opportunities. This will be backed by strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of National Economy and other relevant institutions in supporting the private sector and formulating trade policies”.
The agreement is part of a support package announced by the EU in 2010, PNN reported.
Haaretz newspaper quoted an anonymous European diplomat as saying that “what’s special about this report is that we are all partners in it and agree on the wording of it…The European governments hold a variety of stances regarding the situation – with Holland representing one very pro-Israel side, and Ireland on the other side. But everyone agreed on this document. Israel always says it has both enemies and friends in Europe and we say: the friends think this way too about the situation in Area C.”
Israeli policy, the report stated, has and will “result in forced transfer of the native population.”
According to Israel Matzav, “under the Oslo Accords, there were no restrictions on Israeli building in Area C. Those who negotiated the Oslo Accords envisioned an eventual ‘Palestinian autonomy’ within Areas A and B. There was no intent to establish a ‘Palestinian state,’ and certainly no promises from Israel that one would be established. In fact, the opposite was true.”