German minister slams Israeli settler violence on visit to West Bank

German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan on Tuesday visited Arab-majority areas in the West Bank under threat from Israeli settlement and housing policies, as she made her inaugural trip to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories.

"It is important for us to see what is happening here," Alabali Radovan said after visiting a destroyed house in the village of al-Judaira in the occupied West Bank.

Germany has "closed its eyes in recent years" to the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the territory, said German lawmaker Adis Ahmetovic, who accompanied the minister.

Local resident Mohammed Abdelhamid Eid, 51, showed the visitors the ruins of his house, which, according to UN staff, was demolished by the Israeli civil administration on August 4.

He tried for four years to obtain a permit to build a house on his property without success before starting construction, continually asking for permission, but never receiving a reliable answer.

The mechanic, his wife and their 10-year-old daughter Tulien have not yet digested the shock. "I only had 15 minutes to pack my things," said the child. "When my uncles came to help us, they pointed their guns at my uncles."

Bediako Buahene from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) explained that the destruction of homes and community facilities in the Palestinian territories does not follow a clear pattern.

This is particularly gruelling for the local population, as they never know "who will be affected next."

The atmosphere was tense as the delegation talked to members of Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa's Cabinet in Ramallah, with Israeli soldiers conducting a raid in the city centre that resulted in dozens of injuries.

The Palestinian Authority is seen by German as in need of reform, but capable of playing an important role in administering Gaza after the end of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The Palestinian minister for social development, Samah Hamad, invited partners from the Gaza Strip to join a video conference to inform the German delegation at first hand how desperate the situation is in the sealed-off coastal strip.

Alabali Radovan said the German government has ordered emergency accommodation for around 400 families, with the shelters due to be brought to the Gaza Strip as soon as the situation allows.

"We want to help turn rubble into a home again," she explained, but the aid requires a permanent ceasefire.

The Israeli government must stop fighting, Hamas must lay down its weapons and the hostages must be released unconditionally, she urged.

Similar tale in East Jerusalem

The minister earlier toured East Jerusalem's Silwan neighbourhood, whose Arab residents told her they rarely receive permits to renovate or expand their homes.

Since October 2023, 33 houses have been demolished by the city administration, according to local residents.

Resident Fakhri Abu Diab showed her his family house which was destroyed in 2024. He had lived there with his family for decades.

"The fact that Israel is not held accountable has led to the demolition of my house and the homes of other families," he said.

He said his concerns extend beyond his family and neighbourhood to the fate of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

During her three-day trip, Alabali Radovan plans to meet representatives of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and speak with relatives of Israeli hostages who were abducted to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023.

Construction and destruction

Although Alabali Radovan had never visited Israel or the Palestinian territories before, her ministry has supported numerous development projects in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank over the past decades.

Some of the facilities that Germany once financed in Gaza now lie in ruins. In the West Bank, the unstable situation and restricted mobility make it difficult to implement projects successfully.

The previous German government launched an employment initiative in April 2024 designed to create about 25,000 jobs in the West Bank and East Jerusalem within three years and to help preserve existing employment.

To date, only a few hundred jobs have been created, though 3,000 people are expected to find work by year's end, the ministry said.

Alabali Radovan also condemned violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The German government has consistently emphasized that settler violence is a violation of international law, Alabali Radovan said, noting that Germany continues to support the two-state solution.