WRITTEN QUESTION E-2420/03 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Repeated Israeli accusations against Palestinian media and school textbooks and the consequent continued campaign against payments from the EU.
Date: 2003-07-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Israel, Palestine, Palestine question, aid policy, disinformation, political propaganda, school textbook

C 88 E/410

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

VAT takes account of the particular social interest involved in charitable activities by exempting certain
supplies of goods and services effected by charities. It does not however exempt supplies effected by other
businesses and acquired by charities. It is not practical to devise a system with different VAT liabilities for
postal services depending on who is the person acquiring those services. Such a system would involve
enormous compliance costs for postal operators, and be difficult for tax administrations to control.

(1) COM(2003) 234 final.
(2) Sixth Council Directive 77/388/EEC of 17 May 1977 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States
relating to turnover taxes-Common system of value added tax: uniform basis of assessment, OJ L 145, 13.6.1977.

(2004/C 88 E/0416)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2420/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(21 July 2003)

Subject: Repeated Israeli accusations against Palestinian media and school textbooks and the consequent

continued campaign against payments from the EU

1.
Is the Commission aware that the Israeli ‘Palestinian Media Watch’ organisation, which has been
monitoring Palestinian TV broadcasts, newspapers and school textbooks for the past six years, takes the
view that, even in recent broadcasts and publications, the Jewish inhabitants of Israel are being depicted as
casual colonial invaders who have no historical connection with the region, that Jaffa (currently a suburb
of Tel Aviv), Beersheba and the Sea of Galilee (Yam Kinneret) are being described as being part of Palestine
and that young people are being urged to sacrifice themselves and die a martyr’s death through ‘shahada’?

2.
Is the Commission also aware that, according to that same source, an opinion poll carried out in
August 2002 at the Palestinian Birzeit University showed that 42 % of all Palestinians were in favour of a
multiparty democracy and 42 % of an Islamic one-party state, whereas, as a result of the propaganda aimed
at the younger generation, 58 % of those aged between 18 and 25 were in favour of an Islamic one-party
state?

3.
Is the Commission aware that this disturbing information is being used again and again as an
argument for ending EU financial support for the areas administered by the Palestinian Authority, thereby
hampering efforts to bring Palestine’s educational system and economy as far as possible up to the level of
Israel’s?

4.
In the light of the most recent accusations, is the Commission still certain that the budgetary support
and project funding supplied by the EU cannot also be allocated for propaganda purposes by the parties
concerned with a view to achieving unilateral and violent solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

5. What can the Commission do in order to ensure that, with the welcome continuation and expansion
of aid to the Palestinian people, the climate for the establishment of a fully-fledged Palestinian State and
peaceful coexistence with its neighbour Israel in recognised and secure borders is not destroyed?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(12 September 2003)

The Commission is aware of the work of the Israeli ‘Palestinian Media Watch’ organisation and other

1.
organisations which have produced reports on the content of Palestinian media and school curricula.

2.

3.

The Commission is also aware of the opinion poll referred to.

The Commission is aware of the use being made of this information.

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/411

The Commission has no evidence of Community funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) being
4.
misused for anything other than its agreed purpose. Should such evidence come to light, immediate action
would be taken.

Commission support to the Palestinians is aimed at alleviating the economic and humanitarian crisis
5.
whilst at the same time building the institutions of a future independent, democratic and viable Palestinian
state living side by side in peace and security with Israel, as laid out most recently in the Roadmap.

Deepening reform, helping the population to face the economic crisis and promoting the principles of
good governance and of mutual tolerance and understanding is the best strategy to establish a peaceful
coexistence between Israel and the Palestinian people. These principles have long underpinned the
Commission programme in support of the Palestinians. The Commission has put its weight behind reform
by designing tailor-made institution-building programmes for the Palestinian Authority (e.g. in the area of
judiciary) and by attaching strict reform conditions to its assistance. This has already yielded positive
results most notably in the area of public finances and the adoption of key legal acts.

The new PA Government under Prime Minister Abbas has committed itself to a wide-ranging reform
including concrete measures to eradicate incitement, which was outlined during the Joint
programme,
Committee Meeting of the EC-PA Interim Association Agreement on Trade and Cooperation of 26 June
2003. The Roadmap obligations are being monitored closely by the international community.

The Commission is supportive of the efforts of a number of Member States to develop a modern
Palestinian education system based on tolerance and mutual understanding and regularly facilitates, in this
respect, contacts with the PA and dialogue with all relevant parties.

Finally, the Commission should like to inform the Honourable Member that the importance of Community
donor support in both keeping the Palestinian economy alive and in supporting the implementation of key
democratic reform measures has been widely recognised by the international community, notably at the
Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting of international donors (including the Union, United States, Norway,
and the World Bank) in London on 18/19 February 2003.

(2004/C 88 E/0417)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2471/03

by Catherine Stihler (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Italy and compliance with animal welfare regulation

(24 July 2003)

The Independent recently reported that police in Italy say anglers are using live kittens as bait, while
fishing for the gigantic sheat-fish.

Giuseppe Lagana, a police officer in Mantua in the Po valley, says the first case of kittens being used in the
Italy’s
Po river was detected in May. But Mr Lagana, who doubles as a commander with Ampana,
voluntary nature protection force, said the incident was not isolated.

Could the Commission confirm whether Italy is in full compliance with general EU animal welfare
legislation?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(11 September 2003)

The Commission is on record as deploring animal cruelty in all its forms and would be horrified if live
kittens were used as fishing bait as alleged by the Honourable Member.