Foreign ministers from four European countries and Canada joined Washington on Tuesday in opposing the decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to allow the construction of nine settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States issued a joint statement expressing concern over these Israeli plans.
“We strongly oppose unilateral actions that will only heighten tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and undermine efforts to reach a negotiated two-state solution,” they said.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said Ottawa also strongly opposes settlement expansion and added that “such unilateral action undermines efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. “.
On Sunday, Israel retroactively granted permission to build nine new settlements in the West Bank and announced massive construction of new homes in existing settlements, prompting Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to express “deep concern” over the matter.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment, but Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, of the religious-nationalist bloc in Netanyahu’s government, said he wanted to go further.
“It is our mission. This is our doctrine,” Ben-Gvir said in a video message. – Nine colonies is good, but it’s still not enough. We want a lot more.”
Most countries in the world consider settlements built by Israel on lands it seized following the 1967 war with a coalition of Arab states illegal.
Israel disputes this and cites biblical, historical and political ties to the West Bank, as well as the need to ensure its security.
Since the 1967 war, 132 settlements have been built in areas Palestinians see as part of their future state, according to the monitoring group Peace Now.
In addition to authorized settlements, settler groups built many outposts without government permission. Some of them were demolished by the police, others were punished retroactively. The nine settlements that received approval on Sunday are the first for this convening of a Netanyahu-led government.
Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, welcomed the joint statement but added: “We demand that words be turned into deeds.”
With tensions already high in the West Bank, the move alarmed world powers fearing an even greater escalation in violence.
