14 nations slam Israeli move to set up 19 new settlements in West Bank

Fourteen countries issued a joint statement on Wednesday condemning Israel’s decision to establish 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move constitutes a violation of international law.

The statement was co-signed by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, according to the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. 

The signatories said that such unilateral measures, carried out as part of an intensified settlement policy in the West Bank, not only breach international law but also risk further destabilising the situation. 

They stressed that settlement expansion threatens efforts to implement the Gaza peace plan, undermines progress towards its second phase, and damages prospects for lasting peace and security in the region. 

The 14 nations reaffirmed their clear opposition to any form of annexation and to the continuation or expansion of settlement activity, including the approval of the E1 settlement and thousands of additional housing units.

WAM