BRUSSELS: The European Union on Friday urged Israel to stop settlement expansion and other measures in the occupied West Bank, warning that continued actions could undermine the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
What did the EU say?
An EU spokesperson called on Israel to halt the legalization of settlement outposts, land appropriation, demolitions, forced evictions, and other steps that the bloc said threaten the viability of a two-state solution.
The statement followed Israel’s security cabinet approval of 1.3 billion shekels ($427.8 million) in funding for the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The EU said it does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over territories occupied since 1967. The United Nations, International Court of Justice, and many countries consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects.
EU foreign ministers recently failed to reach an agreement on proposals to restrict trade linked to settlements in the occupied territory, highlighting divisions within the bloc over potential measures against Israel.
What is happening in the West Bank?
The renewed diplomatic pressure comes amid continued violence in the occupied West Bank involving Israeli settlers and Israeli forces.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that two Palestinian children were hospitalized after sustaining head and facial injuries when Israeli settlers allegedly threw stones at their family’s vehicle in the Wadi al-Sha’er area.
In a separate incident, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot by Israeli forces and remains hospitalized, according to Palestinian officials.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the situation in the West Bank had become increasingly concerning and warned that ongoing developments were making a two-state solution more difficult to achieve.
“Everybody agrees that the situation in the West Bank is really intolerable,” Kallas said ahead of EU foreign ministers’ discussions in Brussels.