Foreign minister condemns Israeli destruction of Luxembourg-funded school

Israeli settlers forcibly displaced the long-established Palestinian community of Arab Al Ka’abneh – also known as Arab Mulaihat and Al-Muarrajat East – in the West Bank and established new settlement outposts, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office.

The displacement was part of a “long-standing, state-sanctioned process through coordinated efforts by settlers, backed by the Israeli army, to empty parts of the occupied territory in the West Bank of Palestinians,” the UN office said.

“Luxembourg considers that the destruction of civilian property, including that funded by humanitarian aid, must be subject to remedial measures,” Bettel said after a Channel 4 report showed that settlers had destroyed a school funded by the Grand Duchy as part of the July attack.

“Luxembourg condemns the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem,” Bettel said in a written response to a parliamentary question about the incident by Socialist opposition lawmakers Yves Cruchten and Franz Fayot on Wednesday.

Luxembourg has voted in favour of two UN resolutions to protect West Bank residents against new Israeli settlements, Bettel said, and is pushing for the same protections at EU level.

“Luxembourg contributes actively to the advocacy efforts of the West Bank Protection Consortium, particularly through the annual letters of compensation requests addressed by donor countries to the Israeli authorities,” he said. “These efforts aim to obtain compensation for illegal demolitions and confiscations, especially in areas currently undergoing annexation, and to reiterate the importance of respecting international law. Luxembourg therefore fully supports the idea that those responsible for such destruction must bear the consequences of their actions.”

In early July, the last remaining 20 families in the Palestinian community near Jericho were forcibly displaced. The settlers reportedly vandalised the school, co-funded by Luxembourg, and stole its computers.

The West Bank, home to the Palestinian Authority and not controlled by Hamas, is considered the political heart of Palestine by proponents of the two-state solution. Israeli settlers have taken chunks of the territory in recent decades and their actions have accelerated since Israel launched large-scale attacks in Gaza in 2023 in response to Hamas killings and kidnappings on 7 October that year.