<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Spanish Government condemned on Thursday the “serious escalation of violence” in the West Bank, which is reaching “unprecedented levels” due to the actions of “violent settlers” against the Palestinian population.</strong></h4> “The Spanish Government condemned on Thursday the serious escalation of violence in the West Bank, which is reaching unprecedented levels,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release. “The actions of violent settlers continue to threaten the security and integrity of the Palestinian population, attacking their property and assets and destroying their livelihoods, such as olive groves and business infrastructure,” it continued. “Spain reiterates its particular concern about the attacks on places of worship, such as yesterday’s burning of the mosque in the town of Deir Istiya,” it added. The Spanish Government also rejects the policy of settlement expansion, “including the latest unilateral decision by the Israeli Ministry of Defense defining the boundaries of thirteen settlements in the West Bank, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.” For all these reasons, Spain urges the Israeli Government to “decisively end the violence and impunity” and to ensure that “those responsible for these actions are brought to justice.” “These violent actions jeopardize efforts to achieve peace, based on the US peace plan and the New York Declaration, and threaten the viability of the State of Palestine, undermining the implementation of the two-state solution,” it concluded.
