Analysis
The UK’s Development Work in the Middle East – BICOM’s Written Evidence
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BICOM has submitted written evidence to the House of Commons International Development Committee inquiry on ‘The UK’s Development Work in the Middle East’ which is considering among other things the effectiveness of DFID’s programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Click here to download BICOM’s submission.
BICOM’s submission argues that whilst the development of robust and credible Palestinian Authority institutions is vital for implementing a two state solution, certain activities of the Palestinian Authority are a cause for concern. These include the PA’s preference in recent years for unilateral steps in international forums (as opposed to bilateral negotiations with Israel), incitement against Israel in official media, glorification of acts of violence by the PA, and support for the ambiguous concept of “popular resistance”. The submission further argues that the hostility and misinformation in Palestinian society towards Israel and Jews underlines the urgent need to support programmes and initiatives which bring Israelis and Palestinians together.
The full list of submissions is available here.