Israel's decision to build new settlements far inside the West Bank weakens prospects for peace with the Palestinians, the European Union's diplomatic service said on Friday, echoing US criticism that a two-state solution was at risk.
In a statement, the European Union External Action Service said Israel had broken with public statements not to build new settlements, calling the plans "effectively a new settlement in the northern West Bank."
"The decision to continue settlement building and expansion... weakens rather than strengthens the prospects for a two-state solution to the Middle East peace process, and makes the possibility of a viable Palestinian state more remote," the EEAS said in a statement.