EU barred funding settlements for Israel

European Union (EU) has issued an instruction that will bar all 28 member states from funding projects connected to Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, including annexed east Jerusalem.

From 2014 the guiding principle adopted by the European Commision (EC) will affect all EU grants, prizes and funding, with no further funding available to Israeli entities beyond the 1967 Green Line.

As per the new rules, a clear distinction will be made in all signed agreements between Israel and the territories it occupied in the 1967 Middle East war including the Golan Heights as well as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank including east Jerusalem. Israel was not ready to sign any agreements with the EU which included the “territorial clause” which stated that any funding would not apply to territories beyond the Green Line.

What is Green Line?

Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

The Green Line is also used to mark the line between Israel and the territories captured in the Six-Day War, including the West Bank,Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula. The name derives from the green ink used to draw the line on the map.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2013

Category: International / World Current Affairs