14 countries condemn Israel’s approval of new West Bank settlements

A view of Esh Kodesh, an Israeli outpost in the West Bank, on December 14, 2025. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
A view of Esh Kodesh, an Israeli outpost in the West Bank, on December 14, 2025. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

Fourteen countries, including France, Britain, Canada and Japan, condemn Israel’s recent approval of new settlements in the West Bank.

“We, States of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank,” according to a joint statement released by the French foreign ministry.

“We recall our clear opposition to any form of annexation and to the expansion of settlement policies,” the statement said.

On Sunday, the government formally announced that 11 new settlements would be established in the West Bank, along with the legalization or recognition of eight illegal outposts and neighborhoods of existing settlements as new official settlements.

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