New Israeli Settlement Plan in West Bank Earns EU, UK Condemnation

Greece’s foreign ministers joined his counterparts from 21 European countries, along with those of Australia and the United Kingdom, on Friday to condemned Israeli plans to construct another settlement east of Jerusalem in the West Bank.

If constructed, the new settlement threatens to further cut off a portion of the West Bank from East Jerusalem, the proposed capital of any future Palestinian state.

As widely reported, the controversial plan was unveiled last week by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a “hawk” in the Netanyahu cabinet, and subsequently received an approval by a defense ministry planning commission on Wednesday.

“The decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and a violation of international law… We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms,” the joint statement read.

Adding more “European weight” to the statement was the signature of Kaja Kallas, the Union’s foreign policy chief and vice-president of the European Commission.

Source: Tovima.com