A potential donation to a medical project in an Israeli settlement would not cross any red lines, a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said, despite criticism from rights groups.
“We have not crossed any red lines, [and] that is our assessment,” Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Philippe Yen (顏嘉良) told a news conference in Taipei.
Taiwan and Israel are engaged in “exploratory” talks about providing humanitarian assistance to the occupied West Bank, Yen said.
Photo: Reuters
“No decision has been made and no plan is under way,” he said, effectively denying reports that Representative to Israel Abby Lee (李雅萍) had committed Taiwan to making a donation to the Nanasi Medical Center in Sha’ar Binyamin, in the occupied West Bank north of Jerusalem.
Yen confirmed that Lee had signed a “declaration of partnership” during a visit to the Binyamin Regional Council earlier this month at the invitation of Israeli Legislator Ohad Tal.
However, the declaration only outlined a mutual intention to engage in dialogue on medical issues, without mentioning any funding obligations, he said.
The international community generally regards Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law, a position the Israeli government disputes.
In an advisory opinion issued in July last year, the International Court of Justice concluded that “all States are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
“They are also under an obligation not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” it said.
Yen said the advisory opinion was “nonbinding” and Taiwan’s potential engagement did not fall under its purview.
Nonetheless, reports about Taiwan’s potential aid have sparked an outcry from human rights groups, with Amnesty International Taiwan director Chiu E-ling (邱伊翎) saying that Taiwan’s involvement “could make it complicit in Israel’s violations of international law.”
“When Taiwan chooses to fund projects that exclusively serve Israeli settlers — Palestinians are barred from living in Israeli settlements — it contributes to legitimizing and maintaining Israel’s system of apartheid,” Chiu said in an op-ed for online magazine The Diplomat earlier this week.
Meanwhile, informal civic groups plan to protest outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, calling on the government to immediately halt all financial support to Israel.
Yen said the government respected the groups’ right to freedom of speech and assembly.
He added that Taiwan provided assistance to Palestinians following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023, donating US$500,000 to a US non-governmental organization delivering food, water, clothing, tents and other humanitarian aid to Gaza.
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