Israel last year advanced highest number of West Bank settlements since Oslo – EU report

Israel advanced last year the highest number of settlements in the West Bank since the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, according to a report from the European Union’s representative office in the Palestinian territories.

Plans for 12,349 housing units moved towards approval in the West Bank, the EU office says, warning of the impact on a potential two-state solution.

Another 18,333 units moved forward in the planning process in East Jerusalem, the EU office says.

The total — 30,682 units in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem — is the highest since 2012, it adds.

The report comes at a time of heightened tensions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which has been raging since the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel.

“The EU has repeatedly called on Israel not to proceed with plans under its settlement policy and to halt all settlement activities,” the EU office says.

“It remains the EU’s firm position that settlements are illegal under international law… Israel’s decision to advance plans for the approval and construction of new settlement units in 2023 further undermines the prospects of a viable two-state solution.”