European Countries Condemn Israel’s Plan to Build Thousands of Illegal Settlements

London, MINA – European countries on Friday condemned Israel’s plan to build thousands of illegal settlement units in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The joint statement of the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy and Spain called it (illegal settlements) as “counterproductive” move that undermines regional peace efforts, Wafa reported as quoted by MINA.

“The expansion of Israeli illegal settlement violates international law and endangers the viability of a two-state solution to achieve a just and lasting peace for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the statement continued.

“As we emphasize to the Israeli authorities, this move undermines efforts to rebuild trust between the parties with the aim of continuing dialogue,” they said.

The foreign ministers urged a halt to illegal settlement construction. said the move was counterproductive given the progress of the normalization agreement reached between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The agreement has been condemned by Palestinians.

“Therefore, we call for an immediate halt to illegal settlement construction, as well as the eviction and demolition of Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem and the West Bank,” they said.

“We call for the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2334 in all its provisions. We affirm that we will not recognize changes in accordance with June 4, 1967, including those relating to Jerusalem, unless agreed between the parties. The plan to annex part of the occupied Palestinian territories must become permanent,” they concluded. (T/R7/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)