European Nations and Canada Denounce Israel’s New Illegal West Bank Settlements | Israeli-Palestinian conflict News

Fourteen countries condemn Israeli plans to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank and express their “resolute support” for the Palestinians.

Fourteen countries, including Britain, Canada, Denmark and France, condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the move was illegal and jeopardized the Gaza ceasefire and “long-term peace and security in the region.”

Both countries said Israel’s actions “violate international law” and risk undermining the fragile truce in Gaza as mediators work to implement the second phase of the ceasefire in a war that has seen Israeli forces kill nearly 71,000 Palestinians.

“We, the States of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, 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.

“We reiterate our clear opposition to any form of annexation and the expansion of settlement policies,” the countries said, adding: “We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements.”

“We resolutely support the Palestinian right to self-determination. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.”

On Sunday, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that authorities had given the green light to the settlement project, explicitly saying the decision was aimed at preventing the creation of a future Palestinian state.

“We are preventing the creation of a Palestinian terrorist state on the ground,” Smotrich said in announcing the plan. “We will continue to develop, build and settle in the land of our ancestors,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.

Smotrich also said that the Israeli government “has approved the construction or retroactively legalized 69 new settlements since taking office in late 2022,” the Times of Israel reported.

Earlier this month, the United Nations said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory – all of which are illegal under international law – had reached its highest level since at least 2017.

The UN views the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as a major obstacle to a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians, as illegal construction leaves little contiguous territory for Palestinians and a future independent Palestinian state under a two-state solution.

Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh said the Israeli government’s decision changes the reality on the ground for Palestinians, as many of the settlement outposts formalized in the latest decision are concentrated in the northeastern part of the West Bank, which has traditionally seen very little settlement activity.

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

“They are supporting the most ideological and often the most violent settlers, who are strengthening their presence and appropriating even more Palestinian land, and are becoming more brazen in their attacks against Palestinians, which are unprecedented in scale and effect,” she said.