The Diplomat
Spain, along with 14 other European countries, yesterday called on Israel in a joint communiqué to reverse its decision to build almost 4,500 new housing units in the West Bank.
The communiqué, released yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was signed by the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, as well as Spain.
The fifteen countries are concerned Spain has declared itself “concerned” by the decision taken on Thursday by the Israeli authorities’ High Planning Council, and stresses that the new housing would constitute “an additional obstacle” to the two-state solution.
“Israeli settlements constitute a clear violation of international law and obstruct a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” they say, before also mentioning the demolitions and evictions affecting the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem and Area C. “They directly threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state.
They also urge the Israeli authorities not to proceed with any of the planned demolitions or evictions and have specifically referred to Masafer Yatta, a series of 19 Palestinian villages in the Hebron Governorate in the southern tip of the West Bank.
An Israeli planning commission on Thursday gave the go-ahead for the construction of 4,427 housing units in West Bank settlements, in line with plans unveiled last week that had sparked misgivings in the international community, including from the United States.
