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Thijs Reuten visiting Fakhri's demolished house in Al Bustan, East Jerusalem
MEP Thijs Reuten (GL-PvdA) visited Israel and Palestine and saw for himself the enormous impact of the conflict. From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and from Bethlehem to Hebron on the West Bank, the situation on the ground left a deep impression on him. 'It was incredibly moving, educational, but also stifling. It makes you sad.'
Both sides of the conflict
Reuten - mostly alongside his colleague Tineke Strik - visited both Israeli and Palestinian NGOs and communities and spoke to people on both sides of the conflict, including some Israeli parliamentarians. In Tel Aviv, he went to Hostage Square, where weekly demonstrations take place for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas into Gaza on 7 October. 'Relatives and friends of the hostages feared that the exchange would stop again - which almost happened a week later. And almost all of them blamed Netanyahu and his government that getting the hostages released was never a priority.'
Tel Aviv - weekly protest for release of hostages
In the West Bank, he met Palestinians who face daily threats of evictions and the expansion of Israeli settlements. 'The occupation is already illegal, the settlement policy is already illegal, but now in the West Bank there is a deliberate acceleration to destroy Palestinian communities,' he said.
Women's organisations as beacon of hope
During his trip, Reuten also spoke to activists from Women Wage Peace in Israel and Women of the Sun in Palestine, two women's organisations working together for a peaceful future. 'These women are saying: there is not going to be peace if you don't also give women a seat at the table. Because any solution or any agreement will, by definition, be less successful if you basically leave half the people out.' He met the women earlier in Strasbourg at the presentation of the Sakharov Prize 2025. Together with a French and Belgian colleague, Reuten nominated the two organisations together for the prize and they reached the finals.
Despite the situation, the women continue with their work, even though working together does become increasingly difficult, one organisation being in Bethlehem, the other in Tel Aviv. 'They can hardly see each other because of the tightened rules.' Yet they persevere, inspired by their shared Mothers' Call, because as mothers, they do not want another generation to grow up bitter and enmity.
Hebron and East Jerusalem: lives destroyed
In Hebron, Reuten saw the effects of Israeli settlements up close. 'The centre of the Palestinian city of Hebron has become a 'ghost town' because a small group of settlers there needs to be protected. Some streets are sterilised, which means Palestinians are no longer allowed there at all. In other streets, freedom of movement has been sharply curtailed. It's a completely bizarre and oppressive situation when you're standing there in the middle of the old centre.'
In East Jerusalem, he was shown around by a Jewish citizen, Angela, from West Jerusalem. There he met Palestinian Fakhri and his wife whose house was demolished by municipal authorities over a year ago. 'Fakhri told me: it is of course not only the house that is being destroyed, but my memories, my dreams, my family's history and my children's future.'
Reuten was deeply moved by how Israel handles home demolitions and how the Jerusalem municipality uses these demolitions as a way to displace entire communities. Adding insult to injury, Palestinians even receive the bill for the demolition, he explains. 'You then have to pay for the demolition of your own house, including lunch costs for the sometimes hundreds of people involved in that demolition and its organisation.'
Some Palestinians therefore choose to partially demolish their homes themselves to avoid the high demolition costs. Reuten stresses how unjust this situation is. According to him, Europe invests in building the houses and infrastructure for Palestinians in danger of being driven out, such as in the hills south of Hebron, but often fails to react seriously when those same buildings are destroyed by Israeli authorities.
'Europe is divided'
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for decades, but Reuten says Europe has largely been on the sidelines for more than ten years. 'Europe is divided and as a result we fail to play a decent role,' he says. 'Yes, we are the largest humanitarian donor, but humanitarian aid alone is not enough.' According to him, Europe must show political leadership and play an active role in the peace process. Respect for international law, human rights and civil rights must be the foundations.
According to Reuten, Europe's division is the biggest obstacle. Different member states have differing positions, making joint diplomatic action impossible. As long as Europe does not speak with one voice, it remains powerless. He also believes that the Netherlands is too passive when it comes to recognizing Palestine. 'Some European countries have managed to do it, but the Netherlands has not. They say: 'Yes, we will do that when the time is right.'' According to Reuten, now is the time for a balanced process in which Palestinian rights are unequivocally recognized.
How to move forward? A long-term solution
Still, Reuten sees a possible way out, provided Europe unites. According to him, Europe does not have to agree on everything, but it is crucial to act together. 'Just thinking optimistically,' he says, 'if Europe were united and dared to take the step of working with countries in the region on a comprehensive regional agreement, which includes both a viable Palestinian state and sustainable security for Israel, then there is a chance.'
Reuten specifically mentions the region because he is sceptical about the role of the United States in the peace process. After all Trump's statements, he does not expect any commitment from that side to a sustainable solution acceptable to all parties. Europe should therefore continue to look for other options. 'We have to look beyond the United States, because yes, by now we know exactly where they stand,' he says.
According to him, there are Arab countries that do care about a viable Palestinian state and which Europe should focus more on. The EU should sit down with these countries and look for concrete steps towards a solution. 'Because what is the alternative? More misery and standing by silently as Israel continues to annex and we move further and further away from the peace process?'
Reuten points out that the situation has long since ceased to be just about occupation. 'This is no longer occupation, but annexation politics under pressure from a far-right government and that is appalling.'
Whether Europe is actually able to play a role, he says, depends on political will and cooperation. 'This will obviously only succeed if we say: here is Europe and these are our plans.' In his view, this unity is the only way Europe can credibly contribute to a solution to the conflict. 'As I also said recently in the European Parliament: if people on both sides have lost so much family and friends generation after generation still believe that peace is possible, who are we to give up'.
