Western countries show their "deep concern" about the permission to new settlements in the West Bank

MADRID, 14 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The governments of Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States have expressed their "deep concern" about the decision of the Government of Israel on the construction of another 10,000 housing units in settlements and the authorization of nine colonies already existing in the West Bank and hitherto recognized as illegal even by the Israeli authorities.

The foreign ministers of these countries have published a joint statement in which they have shown their "firm opposition" to "unilateral actions that only serve to exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and to undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution." ". "We continue to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, which must be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties," they said.

Thus, they have emphasized that "Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace, with the same freedom, security and prosperity", before reaffirming their commitment to "help Israelis and Palestinians to materialize the vision of a fully integrated Israel in the Middle East living side by side with a sovereign and viable Palestinian state".

"We continue to closely monitor events on the ground that impact the viability of the two-state solution and the stability of the region in general," they stressed, after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) called it "open war against the Palestinian people" Israel's recent decision on the settlements.

The decision, which has also been criticized by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, was approved by members of the Security Cabinet of the Israeli Council of Ministers, who authorized the construction of nine new settlements in the West Bank in locations where there were already settlements. considered illegal even by the Israeli authorities.

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 --in dispute with Syria--. In total, some 700,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, some of them in colonies considered legal by Israel and some in settlements considered illegal even by the Israeli government. International Law considers the colonization of militarily occupied territories a war crime.