On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of 5 Western countries expressed their "extreme concern" over the Israeli government's decision to build 10,000 new settlement units, and its intention to start legalizing 9 settlement outposts in the West Bank, which were previously considered illegal under Israeli law.
The foreign ministers of America, Britain, France, Germany and Italy said they strongly oppose those "unilateral measures that will only exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and undermine efforts to reach a negotiated two-state solution."
In their statement, the ministers stressed their support for "a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, which must be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties," according to their statement.
"We continue to follow field developments that affect the viability of achieving the two-state solution and the stability of the region," the statement added.
In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressed his country's deep concern over Israel's decision to move forward with about 10,000 settlement units and begin a process to retroactively legalize 9 outposts in the West Bank that were previously considered illegal under Israeli law.
"We strongly oppose these unilateral measures, as do all previous US administrations, whether Republican or Democratic, because they exacerbate tensions and undermine prospects for a negotiated two-state solution," Blinken added, in a statement published by the US State Department on Monday.
The occupation legalizes 9 settlement outposts in the West Bank.. Here are their names and locations: pic.twitter.com/RgU4gIOAIF
Quds News Network (@qudsn) February 13, 2023
international concern
For his part, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, expressed his deep concern over Israel's announcement of the legalization of 9 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that the implementation of these measures will undermine the prospects for achieving the two-state solution and will constitute an obstacle to peace, as he put it.
He added that the Secretary-General reiterates that all settlements are illegal under international law and constitute a major obstacle to peace, and calls for a halt to unilateral actions.
The Israeli cabinet announced on Sunday that it had taken a decision to legalize 9 settlements in the occupied West Bank out of 77, at the request of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, according to informed sources of Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
On Tuesday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that the Israeli government would remove all restrictions on settlement construction in the West Bank.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted Smotrich as saying, during a meeting of his religious Zionist bloc at the random settlement point of Givat Harel in the West Bank, that "Washington understands that we are committed to settlements, and we will remove all restrictions on construction in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank)."
Palestinian welcome reactions
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the regional and international reactions towards Israel's decisions to legalize new settlement outposts, calling for translating international positions into practical measures and steps.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry stated, in a statement, that it welcomes the Arab, Islamic, regional and international reactions towards the decisions of the so-called Israeli cabinet.
The statement demanded that the international and American positions and reactions be translated into practical measures and steps that pressure the Israeli government and its prime minister, including an immediate halt to their implementation.
He explained that international reactions do not rise to the level of this crime and its serious and real repercussions on the opportunity to revive the peace process to implement the principle of the two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli).
The statement indicated that the decisions of the Israeli cabinet call for stronger international reactions that go beyond the ceiling of the usual reactions.
About 725,000 settlers are distributed in 176 large settlements and 186 random outposts in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to data from the Settlement Affairs Authority of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Under international law, all Israeli settlements in occupied territory are illegal, and the United Nations has said their expansion violates human rights law.
The past years witnessed a remarkable increase in settlement activity, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced more than once in recent weeks that his government would give a major boost to settlement activity.