EU condemns approval of West Bank settlement construction

The European Union condemns the Israeli government’s announcement of additional plans to expand West Bank settlements.

“Last week, plans for more than 4,600 new housing units for settlers in the occupied West Bank, including the legalization of an illegal outpost, were announced by the Israeli Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration,” a EU spokesperson in Brussels says in a statement.

“The European Union’s position on Israeli settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory is clear and remains unchanged: All settlement activity is illegal under international law. It erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334.”

— Raphael Ahren