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‘Do not build new housing units in the West Bank’ say 15 European countries in Israel

Fifteen European countries, including Greece, France, Germany and Italy, today called on Israel to reconsider a project to build more than 4,000 homes in the West Bank.

“We express our deep concern at the decision of the Israeli Planning Council to advance plans to build more than 4,000 homes in the West Bank. We call on the Israeli authorities to reverse this decision,” the 15 European Foreign Ministers wrote in a joint statement. countries.

Israel yesterday approved the erection of nearly 4,500 homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a Palestinian state occupied by the Jewish state since 1967, of which more than 2,700 received final approval, according to the Israeli organization “Peace Now”. (Peace Now).

All Jewish settlements are illegal under international law. Also, the “arbitrary” Jewish settlements are considered illegal by Israel, because they were built without the permission of the Israeli authorities.

In a statement, the European Union (EU) said in a statement that “the Israeli Foreign Ministry is urging Israelis not to carry out any planned demolition or eviction, especially in Masafar Yata.”

Israeli NGOs on Thursday criticized the Israeli Supreme Court for rejecting Palestinian demands for eviction in a deserted area of ​​the occupied West Bank, which is considered by the Israeli army as a training ground.

The previous day, Israel’s Supreme Court had agreed with the military that the Masafer Yata area, home to 12 Palestinian villages in the Judea Desert at the southern end of the West Bank, had been a firing range since 1980. the road for possible eviction of residents and construction of houses for potential settlers.

“New housing units could be an additional obstacle to a two-state solution,” warn the diplomats of the 15 countries: Greece, France, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands. , Norway, Spain and Sweden.

According to the Foreign Ministry, “Israeli settlements are a clear violation of international law and impede a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

This European position came during the funeral of journalist Sirin Abu ‘Aklech, who was fatally shot in the head in the occupied West Bank while covering an Israeli military raid on the city of Jenin, against a backdrop of persistent violence. The approval of the construction of new houses was announced the day after the journalist’s death.

Source: Capital

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