Addis Ababa, 05 August 2019: The African Union Commission condemns in the strongest possible terms the demolition of 70 Palestinian homes by the Israeli military in Sur Baher, a Palestinian neighbourhood of East Jerusalem on 22 July 2019.

The African Union Commission is deeply concerns by these demolitions which have taken place in an area under the Palestinian Authority. The African Union Commission reaffirms that all settlements built in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights are null and void and illegal. The African Union Commission also condemns the policy of land grabbing, demolition of houses and forced displacement of civilians coupled with collective punishment measures, which represent a dangerous precedent that poses a direct threat to the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace.

The African Union Commission calls upon the Government of Israel to ensure that it upholds its obligations under the international human rights law and the international humanitarian law. The African Union Commission further calls on the International Community to shoulder its responsibilities by providing protection for the unarmed Palestinian people from the oppressive Israeli military in the occupied territories of the Palestinian State.

The African Union will continue supporting the Palestinian position in its vision of a final solution to the conflict based on the principle of a two-State solution, and will continue calling for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East respectful of the June 1967 borders.

For further information please contact:

For Details Please Contact:
Amb. Salah S. Hammad| Department of Political Affairs | African Union Commission |Email: HammadS@africa-union.org | Tel: +251 (0) 91 305 7711

Media Contact:
Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou |Head of Division of Information |Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission (AUC) | Tel: +251(0) 911361185 / E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org