The Palestinian Embassy in Montenegro announced today that the European Union (EU) is calling on Israel to immediately stop the expansion of settlements, which is illegal under international law, after months of accelerating and intensifying the approval of new settlement plans in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
According to them, in a statement, an EU spokesperson said: "The announcement of the deadline for bids on the tender announced for all 3.401 housing units under this plan, as well as the progress of the construction of the 'Sovereignty Road' that would provide access to the E1 area, constitute a serious provocation."
"The EU also expressed concern about the plans for the Atarot and Nahalat Shimon settlements in East Jerusalem. The statement added: 'The Israeli government's settlement policy constitutes an obstacle to peace, risks further instability in the West Bank, the displacement of thousands of Palestinians, the fragmentation of the West Bank, encourages further violent settler actions and further undermines the prospects for long-term peace and the sustainability of a two-state solution with Jerusalem as the future capital of both states,'" the Palestinian embassies in Montenegro said.
The EU, they said, called on the Israeli government to immediately stop the expansion of settlements, which is illegal under international law, after months of accelerating and intensifying the approval of new settlement plans in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
"The EU called on the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and to protect the Palestinian population of the occupied territories," the Palestinian embassy concluded in a statement.
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