France on Tuesday condemned Israel's plan to advance construction of 800 more Jewish settler homes in the occupied West Bank in a move to cement the projects shortly before pro-settlement U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office.
In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry urged Israeli authorities to drop the plan. Referring to Israel and the Palestinians, who seek a state in territory, it said: "(We) call on the parties to avoid any unilateral measures that could jeopardize the two-state solution founded on international law and agreed parameters."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Monday that about 800 homes would be built in the settlements of Beit El and Givat Zeev, north of Jerusalem, and in Tal Menashe, Rehelim, Shavei Shomron, Barkan and Karnei Shomron in the northern West Bank. It gave no starting date for construction.