LONDON: Israel’s recent approval of additional Jewish colonies in the occupied West Bank was denounced on Wednesday by fourteen nations, including France, Britain, and Germany. The French foreign ministry issued a joint statement saying, “We, the States of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.”
It continued, “We remember our unwavering opposition to any form of annexation and to the expansion of settlement policies. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, declared on Sunday that the settlements had been approved by the government, claiming the action was intended to thwart the creation of a Palestinian state.
The nations emphasized in their statement that such unilateral acts “violate international law” and risk jeopardizing the precarious ceasefire in Gaza as mediators work to implement the second phase of the truce. Israel was encouraged by the nations “to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements.
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