Germany, along with other 11 European countries, urged Israel on Thursday to reverse its decision to advance plans to construct around 3,000 settlement units in the West Bank.
In a joint statement by the foreign ministries of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden, the countries said they opposed settlement expansion across the West Bank.
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Palestinian laborers work at a construction site in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, near Jerusalem
(Photo: AP)
"We call on both parties to build on steps taken in recent months to improve cooperation and reduce tensions," the European governments said.
Israel moved forward on Wednesday with plans to build some 3,000 homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank, defying the strongest criticism to date of such projects from the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.
An Israeli defense official said a planning forum of COGAT — Israel's liaison office with the Palestinians —gave preliminary approval for plans to build 1,344 housing units and its final go-ahead for projects to construct 1,800 homes.
A senior U.S. State Department official said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had discussed the issue with Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday.
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Defense Minister Benny Gantz meeting with U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken last May in Jerusalem
(Photo: Matty Stern / U.S. Embassy Jerusalem)
Their phone call was first reported by the Axios news website, which cited Israeli officials as saying the chief U.S. diplomat voiced American opposition to the settlement plan.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, where some 440,000 settlers live among 3 million Palestinians, and cites biblical, historical and political links to the area in maintaining that Jews have a right to live there. Palestinians seek a future state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.
First published: 15:49, 10.28.21