Israeli forces raze West Bank homes as EU weighs ban on settlement goods

As settlers attacked residents of the village of Burqa in an escalation of violence ahead of Israeli elections in October, israeli forces have demolished more Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank.

Key points

• In the town of Birzet, north of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers demolished two residential buildings, saying they lacked the required building permits, the Palestinian news agency Wafa documented.
• And in Burqa, east of Ramallah, video verified by Al Jazeera indicated a substantial group of settlers raiding the village and attacking Palestinians.
• Neale Richmond, an Irish minister of state, remarked Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and its failure to stop settler violence breached international law.
• The pogroms on Monday came as Ireland pushes for sanctions on goods from illegal Israeli settlements at an informal session of European Union ministers this week.
• Settler violence and settlement expansion are on the agenda of a two-day session of EU foreign ministers in Ireland beginning on Tuesday.

For context, the pogroms on Monday came as Ireland pushes for sanctions on goods from illegal Israeli settlements at an informal session of European Union ministers this week.

In Nablus, Israeli forces applied a bulldozer to raze a two-storey house and a three-storey building under construction.

And in Burqa, east of Ramallah, video verified by Al Jazeera indicated a substantial group of settlers raiding the village and attacking Palestinians. One clip indicated settlers and Palestinians throwing stones at each other.

Witnesses remarked the settlers entered the village from a number of directions on Monday night before assaulting residents, trying to set cars alight and stealing livestock.

In practice, the United Nations human rights office remarked last month that settler violence was at an "all-time high", with new settlements approved and settlers and the Israeli army often acting together against Palestinian communities.

Ireland, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and has moved to ban settlement goods itself, wants member states to act together.

For context, the discussions are anticipated to build on discussions in Brussels in July, based on a confidential European Commission paper floating three options, including an import licensing system, prohibitive tariffs or an outright ban, according to Reuters news agency.

EU rules require goods from illegal West Bank settlements to be labelled as originating in the occupied territory rather than Israel. But the bloc has not banned trade with the settlements, leaving that to individual states.

Decisions on the policy have long been tough for the 27 member countries. It are deeply divided over Israel and Palestine.

"We see certain EU politicians or European politicians supportive not just of the actions of settlers and settler violence, but of this Israeli government who are supporting them, " he remarked. "And we cannot be complicit in the actions of this Israeli government, which more broadly is genocidal."

For now, israeli forces raze West Bank homes as EU weighs ban on settlement remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.