The European Union has criticised a decision by Israel’s security cabinet to change land registration and property acquisition procedures in the occupied West Bank, saying the measures are incompatible with international law.
The steps were described as “counterproductive” and risking disruption to international efforts focused on stabilisation and peace, according to a joint statement from EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and European Commissioners Dubravka Šuica and Hadja Lahbib.
The EU said it does not recognise Israel’s sovereignty over territories occupied since June 1967, citing relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
It added that decisions affecting the implementation of the Hebron Protocol — an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority that set out arrangements for Hebron in the 1990s — could put at risk the “sensitive status quo” at religious sites.
Two-state solution reiterated
The joint statement repeated the EU’s support for a two-state solution based on UN Security Council resolutions, with Israel and an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition.
The Commission members declared the EU would continue working with international partners, including through the Global Alliance for the implementation of the Two State Solution, and urged all sides to avoid unilateral actions that increase tensions and reduce the prospects of a negotiated settlement.
