EU demands Israel ‘reconsider illegal’ settler units plan in West Bank

The EU on Wednesday demanded Israel reconsider plans for nearly 1,300 settler units in the occupied West Bank, saying they were “illegal under international law” and undermined the prospects for peace.

Israel on Tuesday advanced plans for 1,292 new units, with approval from a committee overseeing settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, according to the Peace Now watchdog, AFP reported.

The move came after Tel Aviv pledged a major boost in settlement approvals this year, with US President Donald Trump much less critical of such plans than his predecessor Barack Obama.

But the EU condemned the step, restating its position that settlement activity was “illegal under international law” and damaged “the viability of the twostate solution and the prospect for a lasting peace”.

“The European Union has requested clarifications from Israeli authorities and conveyed the expectation that they reconsider these decisions, which are detrimental to ongoing efforts towards meaningful peace talks,” an EU statement said.

The bloc voiced particular concern about proposals to build settler units in the flashpoint West Bank city of Alkhalil for the first time since 2002 and about the start of preparatory groundwork in the East Beit-ul-moqaddas area the EU said would “severely jeopardize the contiguity and viability of a future Palestinian state”.

Settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Beit-ul-moqaddas is considered illegal under international law.