Annunziata and Zingaretti condemn Israeli expansion in the West Bank and the EU’s inaction

Brussels – “Today, the West Bank looks like a tangle of separate roads and settlements that encircle Palestinian villages, forming a veritable prison grid”: this is the picture of the occupied West Bank painted by Lucia Annunziata, MEP for the Democratic Party (S&D), following her fact-finding mission between 4 and 7 May, alongside her Irish colleague Berry Andrews (Renew Europe). 

Annunziata opened the meeting by highlighting the complexity of the mission: “The outcome is positive, first and foremost because we managed to return safely: an outcome that can never be taken for granted when it comes to entering territory occupied by Israel.” The MEP highlighted how, while global attention is almost entirely absorbed by the conflicts in Gaza and tensions with Iran, recent data collected in the West Bank paints an alarming picture. Since the start of hostilities with Tehran, around 378 attacks have been recorded in the territory, with an average of 10 incidents per day affecting 148 Palestinian communities. By April 2026, the number of communities completely displaced had risen to 45, with around 33,000 Palestinians forced to flee refugee camps due to military operations. 

Citing figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the report presented to the press indicates that 476 homes, schools, and infrastructure facilities have been demolished since the start of 2026. The Israeli authorities justify these demolitions on the grounds of a lack of permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, or present them as punitive measures or measures linked to military activities. 

During the mission, the MPs held discussions with both Palestinian groups and Israeli civil society organisations. Annunziata cited groups such as Breaking the Silence (made up of former soldiers) and Commanders for Israel’s Security (composed of former generals), which are highly critical of Israel’s current military policy. According to the MP, the gradual occupation of the West Bank follows a deliberate plan, launched as early as 1997, which delegates territorial expansion to civilians rather than the regular army. “The aggression of the settlers, who seize land, set fire to property, and build new settlements, is effectively eliminating any living space for Palestinians, and soldiers are even being deployed to ensure the settlers’ safety,” the MEP stated, adding that this dynamic “now makes a diplomatic two-people, two-state solution almost impossible.” 

Regarding the sanctions approved yesterday by the Foreign Affairs Council against violent settlers,, Annunziata expressed scepticism: “It’s a step forward, but it’s not enough. The settlers care little about the freezing of bank accounts or the ban on travelling in Europe.” She then described the current system in the West Bank as a veritable regime of apartheid, where infrastructure—roads, water resources, and commercial networks—is used as a weapon. 

These reflections were echoed by Nicola Zingaretti, head of the PD delegation to the European Parliament, who accused the Netanyahu government of seeking to “erase from history the very possibility of a Palestinian community existing in the region.” Zingaretti then strongly criticised the passivity of the EU institutions: “The refusal of European governments to grasp the gravity of this escalation makes Europe, in effect, an accomplice to the situation.” 

Finally, the issue of EU funds and education was addressed. Although in Recommendation No. 200 to the European Commission, The European Parliament has recently made financial support conditional on the revision of Palestinian textbooks, to remove anti-Semitic content or incitement to violence—a process that Annunziata describes as “a great success for the Palestinian Authority”—as reported by from some media outlets, the same rigour does not appear to be applied to Israeli school textbooks, where narratives that dehumanise Palestinians persist. “The only real hope for the Palestinian people is that the leadership of the State of Israel passes to leaders other than Benjamin Netanyahu,” commented Zingaretti on the matter, looking favourably upon the Israeli democratic forces calling for change. Annunziata warned, however, that citizens’ distrust of the Palestinian Authority, perceived as incapable of implementing reforms, risks pushing many towards more radical positions, such as those of Hamas: “Palestinians are so disgusted with the Palestinian Authority that they will calmly tell you that if they have to vote, they would rather vote for Hamas. We see no reforms with the PNA,” Annunziata concluded.