14 countries condemn Israel’s new illegal West Bank settlements
Fourteen countries, including several European nations and Canada, have strongly condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move violates international law and threatens long-term peace and regional security.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the countries said Israel’s decision risks undermining the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and jeopardising efforts to advance the second phase of the truce, mediated amid a devastating war that has killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The signatories to the statement were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.
“We condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank,” the statement said, adding that the decision “violates international law” and contradicts longstanding opposition to annexation and settlement expansion.
The countries called on Israel to reverse its decision and halt further settlement growth, while reaffirming their “resolute support” for Palestinians’ right to self-determination. They also reiterated their commitment to a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
The condemnation comes after Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Sunday that the government had approved the new settlements, saying the move was intended to prevent the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
“We are stopping the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state on the ground,” Smotrich said, according to Israeli media reports. He added that the government has approved or retroactively legalised 69 settlements since taking office at the end of 2022.
Earlier this month, the United Nations warned that Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory has reached its highest level since at least 2017. Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal.
The UN has repeatedly said settlement activity remains one of the main obstacles to peace, as it fragments Palestinian territory and leaves little room for a viable, contiguous Palestinian state.
Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh reported that many of the newly approved settlement outposts are concentrated in the northeastern West Bank, an area that has historically seen limited settlement activity.
“While these decisions may appear bureaucratic, they are strategic,” Odeh said, noting that they embolden ideological settlers and intensify land seizures and attacks against Palestinians, which have reached unprecedented levels.
The expansion has also raised deep concerns among Palestinian communities, including Christians, who fear cultural and demographic erasure as settlements continue to grow across the occupied territory.
Similar news
