The European Union Friday repeated its position that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between the parties. "The European Union has consistently made clear that it is strongly opposed to the expansion of settlements and will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders," said EU lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano in a statement Friday. He noted that on Wednesday, Israel announced the publication of tenders for the construction of more than 2,860 housing units in 30 Israeli settlements, including some deep inside the West Bank. This follows the announcement on Sunday of tenders published for the construction of more than 1,300 housing units in Israeli settlements, as well as in occupied East Jerusalem. "We renew our call upon the Government of Israel to reverse these steps which are completely inconsistent with efforts to lower tensions and to ensure calm, to halt settlement construction, and to focus on furthering meaningful re-engagement between the parties," he added. A group of 12 countries on Thursday collectively urged Israel to scrap plans for the construction of more than 3,000 settler homes in the West Bank. The United Kingdom separately issued a similar statement urging Israel to reverse plans for fresh settlement construction. A day after the US criticized the plan, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden said in a joint statement that Israel should cancel its decision to build in the settlements. "We urge the government of Israel to reverse its decision to advance plans for the construction of around 3,000 settlement units in the West Bank," the foreign ministries of the 12 said. "We reiterate our strong opposition to its policy of settlement expansion across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which violates international law and undermines efforts for the two-state solution," they said. In its own statement, the UK said settlements "are illegal under international law and present an obstacle to peace and stability." It urged Jerusalem to reverse its decision. — Agencies
