The European Union Reiterates Its Call for Israel to Refrain from Expanding Settlements in the West Bank

SadaNews - The European Union has expressed deep concern over the current Israeli government's drive to allocate unprecedented amounts of funding to support colonial expansion in the heart of the West Bank.

The Union explained in an official statement that these steps will inevitably entrench colonial presence in areas described as highly sensitive from a geopolitical perspective, which threatens any future opportunities for peace.

The occupation authorities had previously revealed budget allocations amounting to approximately $2.8 billion, aimed directly at building thousands of new housing units and developing the infrastructure of settlements. These moves are part of a comprehensive framework agreement that seeks to change the demographic and geographic reality in the occupied Palestinian territories by adding 12,000 new settlement units.

In this context, the European Union has announced its firm rejection of the decision to convert the "Givat Ze'ev" settlement, built on Palestinian land northwest of Jerusalem, into an official Israeli municipality.

The Union reiterated its assertion of non-recognition of any Israeli sovereignty over the territories occupied in 1967, stressing that these actions violate United Nations Security Council resolutions and international law.

For its part, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission warned of new colonial plans targeting the takeover of more than 1,000 dunams of Palestinian land to establish over 1,000 colonial units.

The Commission pointed out that the occupation authorities recently discussed several plans that have entered into actual implementation through approval and deposit procedures.