Fourteen countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, have condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements to be built in the occupied West Bank, stating that the move violates international law and risks fueling further instability.
Israel approved the proposal for new Jewish settlements last Sunday, bringing the total number to 69, according to Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, The Guardian reports.
“We call on Israel to reverse this decision and halt the expansion of settlements,” the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain said in a joint statement.
The statement further noted: “Such unilateral actions, as part of a broader intensification of settlement policies in the West Bank, not only violate international law but also risk exacerbating instability.”
“These actions undermine efforts to implement a comprehensive plan for Gaza amid attempts to move to the second phase, and they damage the prospects for long-term peace and security across the region,” the joint statement concluded.
