Washington, European powers condemn Israeli settlement plans in joint statement
The Foreign Ministers of the US, the UK, France, Germany and Italy issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning Israel’s decision to legalize nine outposts and advance plans for some 10,000 new settlement homes in the West Bank.
The Foreign Ministers said their countries “are deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s announcement that it is advancing nearly 10,000 settlement units and intends to begin a process to normalize nine outposts that were previously deemed illegal under Israeli law.”
“We strongly oppose these unilateral actions which will only serve to exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution,” they underlined in the joint statement.
They renewed support to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, which must be achieved, they said, through direct negotiations between the parties. “Israelis and Palestinians both deserve to live in peace, with equal measures of freedom, security, and prosperity. We reaffirm our commitment to helping Israelis and Palestinians fulfill the vision of an Israel fully integrated into the Middle East living alongside a sovereign, viable Palestinian state,” they pointed out, adding that they continue to closely monitor developments on the ground which impact the viability of the two-state solution and stability in the region at large.
Later Tuesday, Canada issued its own statement condemning the move, saying it “strongly opposes the expansion of settlements” and that it believes “such unilateral actions jeopardize efforts to achieve comprehensive, just and lasting peace.”
The plans to further entrench Israel’s presence in the West Bank have also been lambasted by the European Union’s foreign policy chief, the United Nations secretary-general, Norway, Turkey, and several Arab states which called the Israeli plan “a blatantly illegal act.”
The steps to further entrench Israel’s presence in the West Bank were unanimously approved on Sunday by the Israeli cabinet, which framed the measures as a response to a series of “terror attacks” in Jerusalem.
