Israel’s decision to establish more than 30 new settlements in the occupied West Bank is illegal under international law, the European Union said in a statement issued by the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The EU said it “strongly condemns” what it called unilateral Israeli actions to expand its presence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and urged the Israeli government to reverse the decisions, according to the EEAS.
East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank have been under Israeli occupation since 1967, and the EU said an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 19 July 2024 declared Israel’s presence in the territories to be unlawful, the EU added.
The EU also condemned what it described as “continued and growing” settler violence against Palestinian civilians.
Two-state solution reiterated
The bloc restated its support for a two-state solution — the long-standing framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel — and said it wanted Israel and Palestine to live side-by-side in peace within secure and recognised borders.
It noted its position was based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
