Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is fuelling poverty, misery and resentment, an alliance of Catholic charities claims in a new report launched today.
Life for Palestinians under Israeli rule is worsening, the report says, as it marks half a century since the six-day war in 1967, during which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced.
No Place Like Home by the coalition of Catholic aid charities, the International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE), blames "recurring Israeli military incursions and attacks" for the fact that 80 per cent of Gaza's population relies on humanitarian aid for survival.
"Urgent action is needed by the international community, including the EU and its member states, in order to address the situation," said Brigitte Herremans, from CIDSE's working group on Palestine and Israel.
"Israel must uphold its duties under international law."
It is published as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed hundreds of new settlement buildings in occupied East Jerusalem.
"There is no longer a need to coordinate construction in the Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem," he said, announcing the removal of building restrictions.
"We can build where we want and as much as we want," Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that he also intended to allow the start of building in the West Bank.
"My vision is to enact sovereignty over all the settlements."
US President Donald Trump has pledged to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – a move certain to affect peace negotiations.
The new US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is seen as a supporter of settlements.
CAFOD's Director of Advocacy, Neil Thorns, called on Boris Johnson, the UK foreign secretary, to make the peace process a priority.
"The current status quo is unsustainable," he said.
"Our Israeli and Palestinian partners describe worsening conditions on the ground, as families are driven into ever-deeper poverty and left to live on aid hand-outs. Displacement is a fundamental threat to the chance of a just peace."
Recently, a group of Catholic and Anglican bishops demanded the end of 50 years of occupation.
"We must never become accustomed to what is happening in the Holy Land. It is a scandal that requires all of us to take responsibility," said Bishop Declan Lang, chair of the Holy Land Coordination.
In a statement last week the bishops' said: "For fifty years the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza have languished under occupation, violating the human dignity of both Palestinians and Israelis."
They added: "We all have a responsibility to oppose the construction of settlements. This de facto annexation of land not only undermines the rights of Palestinians in areas such as Hebron and East Jerusalem but, as the UN recently recognised, also imperils the chance of peace."
