The Diplomat
The Spanish government yesterday expressed its rejection of the measures announced by Israel to expand settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories with the construction of 10,000 homes and the legalisation of nine settlements.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government expressed its concern over measures that it describes as “unilateral” and which it considers to be “distancing the prospect of a two-state solution”.
The government, which on numerous occasions -alone or with other European countries- has expressed its condemnation of the expansion of settlements, also recalls that the two-state solution is the “only satisfactory response to the legitimate national aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis, and a key element for peace and national security”.
The West Bank – including East Jerusalem – and the Gaza Strip – from which Israel withdrew in 2005 – were militarily occupied by Israel in the 1967 war along with the Golan Heights, which are disputed with Syria.
In total, some 700,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, partly in colonies considered legal by Israel and partly in settlements considered illegal even by the Israeli government. International law considers the colonisation of militarily occupied territories to be a war crime.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres yesterday condemned the Israeli government’s announcement as a “substantial obstacle to peace”.
