France Condemns Israel’s Settlement Activity in West Bank

Occupied Jerusalem, MINA – France denounced on Friday Israel’s recent decision to build new Jewish-only settlement units in West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.

“France condemns the new decisions of the Israeli authorities aimed at allowing the construction of several thousand homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” the spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement, PIC reported

“These decisions, as well as the demolition and evacuations affecting the Palestinian populations in Area C, and in particular Area E1, are part of the same strategy that directly threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.”

“France calls on the Israeli authorities to reconsider these decisions and to abandon this settlement strategy in order to preserve the two-state solution with Jerusalem as the capital, to which France reaffirms its attachment,” added the statement.

The Israeli government over the past two weeks has ratified new plans for over 2,000 settlement units in the West Bank.

On Thursday, the European Union (EU) released a sharply-worded statement criticizing Israel over the approval of the construction.(R/R04/RS5)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)