Spain Condemns Israeli Settlement Expansion

Madrid, MINA – Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday condemned the expansion of Israeli settlements, calling it a new violation of international law.

“The decision by the Israeli government to build 3,000 homes in the West Bank is a new violation of international law. This undermines the viability of the two-state solution, the only path to peace. We condemn the expansion of settlements and the violence of the settlers,” Albares wrote on X.

According to Anadolu Agency, Israeli media reported that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved the construction of 3,401 settlement units in Ma’ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and another 3,515 units in the surrounding area. The project aims to split the West Bank in two, severing the connection between its northern and southern cities and isolating East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the move as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision for a “Greater Israel,” warning that it would strengthen the occupation and eliminate the viability of a Palestinian state.

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The international community, including the United Nations, considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law. The UN has repeatedly warned that the continued expansion of settlements threatens the viability of the two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In an advisory opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. [Shibgho]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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