Fourteen countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, have strongly criticized Israel’s recent approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move violates international law and threatens regional stability.
In a joint statement issued by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the UK, officials expressed deep concern over Israel’s decision and urged the government to reverse its plan.
The countries reiterated their opposition to any form of annexation and settlement expansion, emphasizing continued support for Palestinian self-determination.The statement stressed a collective commitment to a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the Two-State solution,” cautioning that settlement expansion further undermines the prospects for a viable and independent Palestinian state.
Officials also warned that the move risks destabilizing the already fragile ceasefire in Gaza. Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defended the decision, stating that the settlement expansion is intended to block the establishment of a future Palestinian state. “We are stopping the establishment of a Palestinian terrorist state on the ground,” Smotrich said, adding that Israel would continue to “develop, build and settle in the land of our ancestors”.
The United Nations has repeatedly raised alarms over Israel’s settlement policies, noting that expansion in occupied Palestinian territories has reached its highest level since at least 2017. The UN considers the settlements a major obstacle to peace, as they fragment Palestinian land and make the creation of a contiguous state increasingly difficult under a two-state framework.
Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh reported that many of the newly approved settlements are located in northeastern areas of the West Bank that previously saw little settlement activity, underscoring the strategic nature of the government’s approach.
