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EU plans massive transportation project without consulting Israel

Israel has discovered that the EU is working on a massive transportation program for the Palestinians, including in Area C, without consulting Israel. 

By: World Israel News Staff

The European Union (EU) is working on plans to construct a massive transportation grid connecting the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian Authority (PA)-administered territories in Judea and Samaria, but has not informed Israel.

Israel Radio reported Wednesday that in a discussion held two days ago in one of the subcommittees of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee headed by MK Moti Yogev, it was revealed that the EU had formulated a plan for the establishment of huge infrastructures, including in Area C, which is under full Israeli control.

According to the plan, airports and seaports will be established, and an extensive network of railways and roads will connect all parts of Judea and Samaria with the Gaza Strip.

It was further revealed that the EU did not bother to update or involve the IDF’s Civil Administration or other elements in Israel, even though the plan touches on many areas under Israeli control, including in Jerusalem. To date, the European Union has promoted the construction of public buildings and private construction in Israeli-controlled areas, many cases with the aim of undermining Israeli sovereignty.

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The EU said in response that “we do not need approval from Israel to formulate the master plan on transportation, and therefore we did not ask for such approval.”

The EU also denied that the project currently includes any actual construction in Area C.

“The project is part of the EU’s overall investment in the PA’s governmental activities and future vision towards the establishment of a Palestinian state,” the EU stated.

Israeli Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said he was familiar with the plan. “I made it clear that Gaza will not connect to Judea and Samaria and that all their plans are completely unacceptable,” Katz said in an interview with Israel Radio.

Israel will use the plan for its advantage

Yogev stated that “the Europeans are acting brazenly behind the back of the State of Israel, against the Israeli interest, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state, but do not worry, we will use this plan to advance the master plan for Judea and Samaria, which will benefit Arabs and Jews under Israeli rule.”

The Road and Transportation Master Plan for West Bank and Gaza Strip, also known as NTMP – National Transport Master Plan for Palestine, is described by the Palestinian Ministry of Transportation  as “a strategic transport planning tool aimed to set a clear and ambitious vision for the future of transportation in the Palestinian present and future territories.”

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Financed by the European Commission and managed by the European Investment Bank, the Master Plan is a short, medium and long term plan for the PA.

The Master Plan addresses both the PA and Gaza Strip, covering a total area of 6,020 square kilometers.

The comprehensive nature of this Master Plan has no precedent and aims to incorporate the Judea and Samaria region and Gaza Strip into a “single and united framework.”

The Master Plan is the result of 18 months of work.