EU's Kallas says Israeli settlement plan breaches international law
World
"The EU reiterates its call on Israel to halt settlement construction," Kallas said
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that an Israeli settlement plan is not in line with international law, and she called on Israeli authorities not to move ahead with it.
Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has announced that work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem.
"The decision of Israeli authorities to advance the E1 settlement plan further undermines the two-state solution while being a breach of international law," Kallas said in a statement. "The EU reiterates its call on Israel to halt settlement construction," she added.
GERMANY OPPOSES EXPANSION
Germany has strongly condemned Israel’s latest settlement expansion plans, warning that the move would deepen the fragmentation of the occupied West Bank and undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.
In a statement, the German Foreign Ministry criticized the proposed construction of thousands of settler housing units, particularly in the contentious E1 area and around Ma’ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem. These projects, it said, would effectively split the West Bank into two disconnected parts and sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory.
“The settlements violate international law, obstruct a negotiated two-state solution, and hinder efforts to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, as called for by the International Court of Justice,” the ministry stated.
The German government urged Israel to immediately halt all settlement construction, reiterating that it would only recognize changes to the June 4, 1967 borders if mutually agreed upon by both parties. It also rejected any Israeli plans for annexation.
Israeli media reported Thursday that Smotrich had approved the construction of 3,401 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim and 3,515 additional units in adjacent areas. The development would further restrict Palestinian mobility, severing links between northern and southern parts of the West Bank and isolating East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the move, calling it part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision for a “Greater Israel”, warning it would entrench the occupation and destroy any remaining possibility for a viable Palestinian state.
The international community, including the United Nations, considers Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law. The UN has repeatedly warned that continued expansion poses a direct threat to the viability of the two-state solution, widely regarded as the most viable path to resolving the decades-long conflict.
Last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
