Israeli seeks damages from EU over Hamas rocket attacks

"We plan to add to the claim any Israeli who holds a European passport and who lives within terrorist-rocket range. The EU grants hundreds of millions of euros a year in aid to Gaza, and it is inconceivable that European citizens should be harmed by money supplied by the EU. It's time that the EU takes responsibility." (Mordechai Tzivin)

Source: article by Bruno Waterfield in the Daily Telegraph

An Israeli man is mounting a landmark legal challenge to demand European Union compensation for damages caused by Hamas rocket attacks on his home.

Israeli and Belgian lawyers acting for Eyal Katorza, who is also a French citizen, are preparing a legal case demanding that the EU does more to protect the 300,000 Europeans living in Israel.

Legal documents, seen by The Daily Telegraph, have accused the EU of indirectly funding Palestinian terrorism because of a failure to "prevent the misuse of European funds by non-profit organisations which use these funds to finance terrorism". [Full text of draft legal complaint in Eyal Katorza case]

Mr Katorza has demanded EU "reparations for lost job income, reparations for physical and psychological damages, reparations for property damages, monies for reinforced buildings against missiles or any other military projectiles".

The dual French-Israeli citizen, from Sderot in Israel's Negev region, has lost his job and family business because of Qassam rocket attacks launched from the Gaza strip by Hamas.

His lawyers have cited clauses in the EU Treaties that offer protection to Europeans even while they are living abroad.

Mordechai Tzivin, Mr Katorza's Israeli lawyer, has appealed to other EU-Israeli citizens to join the action, to be launched later this week, a call that has been supported by the European Citizens Council in Israel.

"We plan to add to the claim any Israeli who holds a European passport and who lives within terrorist-rocket range," he said.

"The EU grants hundreds of millions of euros a year in aid to Gaza, and it is inconceivable that European citizens should be harmed by money supplied by the EU. It's time that the EU takes responsibility."