The recent Israeli announcement to significantly expand its illegal settlement construction in the occupied West Bank has been strongly condemned by the international community. The European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), and the Arab League were among the organizations that expressed deep concern over the decision to approve nearly 5,000 new settler homes. The statements by these organizations said the decision will undermine undermine and completely destroy the two-state solution and jeopardize the establishment of a viable, independent Palestinian state.
Earlier, Israel had announced its plans to proceed with the construction of the illegal settler homes which it had halted some months ago at the insistence of US president Donald Trump as part of the Arab-Israeli normalization deals. Peace Now, the Israeli settlement watchdog, said that with the new constructions, the total number of settler homes approved in occupied Palestine this year alone will be more than 12,150, the highest since 2012 when it started tracking the illegal construction.
The EU, in a joint statement on Friday, October 16, from the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, said that the Israeli decision to expand its illegal settlements “violates international law and further imperils the viability of a two-state solution to bring about a just and lasting peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
The UN and the Arab League also denounced the Israeli announcement, with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, saying that “the new settlement activity will undermine the achievement of the two-state solution that would put an end to the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. The construction of the settlements is illegal under international law, as well as it is one of the main obstacles to achieve peace in the region.” The secretary general of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul-Gheit also issued a statement expressing the league’s opposition to the Israeli announcement, adding that it will contribute to only destroy the ‘two-state solution.
