European countries slam Israel over planned settlement expansion

Oct 16, 2020

A group of five European countries condemned the Israeli government today for its “counterproductive” decision to build thousands more settlement units in the occupied West Bank. 

In a statement, the foreign ministries of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain called for an immediate halt to settlement construction, as well as a pause in evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 

“The expansion of settlements violates international law and further imperils the viability of a two-state solution to bring about a just and lasting peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” they said. “As we have emphasised directly with the government of Israel, this step furthermore undermines efforts to rebuild trust between the parties with a view to resuming dialogue.”

During a meeting this week, Israel’s West Bank Civil Administration, which approves settlement planning and construction, signed off on 4,948 more settlement units. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, a majority of the new units will be located in the area between the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus. 

The expansion makes 2020 the highest year on record for settlement construction since anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now began recording it in 2012.