European nations, Canada decry Israel’s new, illegal West Bank settlements

Fourteen nations, including Britain, Canada, Denmark, and France, have condemned Israel’s decision to approve 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling them unlawful and putting “long-term peace and security across the region” in jeopardy.

As mediators work to implement the second phase of the ceasefire in a conflict in which Israeli forces have killed almost 71, 000 Palestinians, the nations said Israel’s actions “violate international law” and “violated international law.”

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

The nations’ “We recall our unwavering opposition to any form of annexation and the expansion of settlement policies,” the nations said, adding: “We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements.”

We steadfastly support the right of the Palestinians to self-determination. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to a two-state solution-based, comprehensive, just, and lasting peace.

Israeli authorities gave the go-ahead to the settlements plan on Sunday, according to far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who stated in a statement that the decision was taken to stop the establishment of a new Palestinian state.

In announcing the plan, Smotrich said, “We are stopping the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state on the ground.” According to The Times of Israel, “We will continue to develop, construct, and settle in the land where our ancestors were.”

Smotrich added that since it took office at the end of 2022, the Israeli government has approved for 69 new settlements to be built or retroactively legalized, according to The Times of Israel.

The UN reported earlier this month that the number of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, which are all prohibited by international law, had reached its highest level since at least 2017.

Israel’s expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank poses a significant threat to a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians, according to the UN, because the illegal constructions leave little untouched Palestinians and a future independent Palestinian state in the wake of a two-state solution.

Nour Odeh, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, claimed that the Israeli government’s decision was altering the situation for Palestinians in the northeast of the West Bank, where there has traditionally been little settlement activity.

Odeh wrote earlier this month that “these government decisions may seem bureaucratic, but they are actually strategic in nature.”