D. whereas the West Bank and East Jerusalem, together with the Gaza Strip, are occupied territory; whereas international human rights and humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, is fully applicable to this territory; whereas Israel as occupying power is obliged, inter alia, to ensure in good faith that the basic needs of the occupied Palestinian population are met, administer its occupation in a manner that benefits the local population, protect and preserve civilian objects, and avoid the transfer of its own population into the occupied territory as well ...[+++]as of the population of the occupied territory into its own territory;

E. whereas according to international law the West Bank, including East Jerusalem together with the Gaza Strip, is an occupied territory where international humanitarian law including the Fourth Geneva Convention fully applies; whereas Israel as an occupying power is obliged, inter alia, to ensure in good faith that the basic needs of the occupied Palestinian population are met, administer its occupation in a manner that benefits the local population, protect and preserve civilian objects, and avoid the transfer of its own population into the occupied territory as well as of ...[+++] the population of the occupied territory into its own territory;

Certain advantages specific to Union citizens who are workers or self-employed persons and to their family members, which may allow these persons to acquire a right of permanent residence before they have resided five years in the host Member State, should be maintained, as these constitute acquired rights, conferred by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1251/70 of 29 June 1970 on the right of workers to remain in the territory of a Member State after having been employed in that State and Council Directive 75/34/EEC of 17 December 1974 concerning the right of nationals of a Member State to remain in the territory of another Member State aft ...[+++]er having pursued therein an activity in a self-employed capacity

Certain advantages specific to Union citizens who are workers or self-employed persons and to their family members, which may allow these persons to acquire a right of permanent residence before they have resided five years in the host Member State, should be maintained, as these constitute acquired rights, conferred by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1251/70 of 29 June 1970 on the right of workers to remain in the territory of a Member State after having been employed in that State and Council Directive 75/34/EEC of 17 December 1974 concerning the right of nationals of a Member State to remain in the territory of another Member State aft ...[+++]er having pursued therein an activity in a self-employed capacity

After redeployment by Israel from the West Bank, Palestinians held their first-ever presidential and parliamentary elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on 20th January 1996.

Several CFSP decisions were taken by the Council concerning the Palestinian elections: the joint action of 19th April 1994 on support of the Middle East peace process [29], which announced the EU intention to give assistance and to observe the elections in the Occupied Territories; the Council Decision of 1st June 1995 [30], committing 10 million Ecus for this purpose, and the Council Decision of 25th September 1995, establishing a European Union Electoral Unit and defining the financial and administrative procedures for the observation of elections [31].