On January 7-8, 2025, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Hildegard Bentele visited Israel with ELNET. She came to better understand the challenges faced by Israel since October 7, and to learn about the involvement of UNRWA workers in the October 7 atrocities, attacks. Her trip consisted of numerous insightful meetings with Members of the Israeli Knesset (MK), with Ministry of Defense (MoD) officials, and with research institutes.


Palestinian Media Watch
MEP Bentele’s visit started with a briefing from Mr. Itamar Marcus, founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch, an organization that monitors and translates Palestinian media. Armed with numerous compelling examples collected both before and after the October 7, 2023, attacks, Mr. Marcus explained the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s narrative on Israel. He highlighted the alarming glorification of terrorism, and the monetary rewards—including lifetime benefits—for individuals who commit acts of terror and are imprisoned in Israeli prisons.
Mr. Marcus highlighted the findings of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) on opinion polls conducted in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank before and after October 7. These polls reveal increased support for Hamas among Palestinians.



"The Day After"

At the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) MEP Bentele met with MK Dan Illouz of the Likud Party to discuss the new legislation that restricts UNRWA’s activities in the West Bank and in Gaza. The discussion included possible alternatives to UNRWA, especially for the distribution of humanitarian aid.


MEP Bentele also met with MK Ohad Tal, from the Religious Zionism party, and a member of the Knesset’s Defense and Foreign Affairs Commission. MK Tal spoke about the gap between European expectations about the conduct of the war, and the challenges faced by the IDF. He also commended MEP Bentele’s initiative to learn for herself about Israel’s challenges.

Finally, MEP Bentele met at the Knesset with MK Shelly Tal-Meron (from the “Yesh Atid Party”, and Chair of the Caucus on Sexual Violence Against Women), with MK Ariel Kallner from (Likoud Party), and with Dor Kaidar (Coordinator of the Knesset’s International Relations).
All congratulated MEP Bentele for deciding to come to Israel despite political pressures at home. They expressed their interest in partnering with her and look forward to welcoming her again.
MEP Bentele also met with two high civil servants from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Ambassador Amir Weisbrod (Deputy Director of International Organizations) and Ahuva Spieler (Director of the Europe Department).

Ministry of Defense
At the Ministry of Defense, MEP Bentele met with officers from the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the key unit responsible for managing Israel’s operations and humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank. During the briefing, Mrs. Bentele learned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza since October 7, and about the logistical challenges of delivering aid. The COGAT team explained that Israel is committed to delivering aid to Gaza and to meet its obligations under international law.
IMPACT-SE

MEP Bentele met with IMPACT-SE, an NGO that monitors and translates the schoolbooks of Arab countries and of the Palestinian Authority (PA). IMPACT-SE exposed UNRWA’s incitement against Israel and against Jews but also explained how the European Union (EU) can use its economic leverage on the PA to change its curriculum.


Meeting with Dr. Emmanuel Navon

MEP Bentele met Dr. Emmanuel Navon, CEO of ELNET-Israel, for dinner in Jerusalem. Dr. Navon explained that UNRWA is an historical anomaly, and that what is left of the actual refugees of 1948 should be handled by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He also said that UNRWA is part of the problem and of the solution because it artificially inflated the number of refugees, falsely teaching in schools that today’s descendants of the 1948 refugees have a right to “return” to the State of Israel. This claim, Dr. Navon explained, has no basis in international law and no historical parallel. Finally, Dr. Navon explored with MEP Bentele possible alternatives to UNRWA, insisting that Israel is interested in improving the humanitarian situation in partnership with the European Union.
MEP Hildegard Bentele

MEP Bentele is a member of the European Parliament since 2019 where she serves as Vice-Chair of the Development Committee, a Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Innovation, and a Substitute Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Security. She is a member of the Delegation for relations with Israel. Prior to this she served in the Foreign Office where she held several positions including Diplomat at the German Embassy Zagreb and at the German Embassy in Teheran. She holds a Degree in Political Science from the Freie Universität Berlin, and also Studied in Political Science, History and Public Law in Heidelberg, Paris, Brussels and Berlin.