EU Slams Israeli Settlements Bill

Al-Quds, 8 Rabi’ul Awwal 1438/8 December 2016 (MINA) – The European Union (EU) slammed Thursday the adoption of an Israeli bill that would “legalize” settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A spokesperson for EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in a statement said this step could lead to “legalisation of numerous illegal settlements and outposts, built on private Palestinian land in violation of Israeli and international law, by confiscating property rights of Palestinians for settler use.”

“If it passes, this would be the first law adopted by the Knesset on the status of land in the West Bank, an occupied territory not under its jurisdiction,” the statement continued, the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reported.

Recalling that settlements are illegal under international law, the statement added that they constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make the two-state solution impossible.

The EU reiterated “its strong opposition, in line with the position of the Middle East Quartet, to Israel’s settlement policy and all actions taken in this context.”

Israeli Knesset gave initial approval on Monday to a revised bill to legalize illegal settlement homes. It must pass three more votes at unspecified future dates before becoming law.(T/P008/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)