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Israel has rejected the statement issued by foreign countries regarding the decision on settlement expansion in Judea and Samaria, commonly called the West Bank.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said external governments ”will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel,” calling their opposition ”morally wrong and discriminatory against Jews.”
The ministry, in a statement, noted that the establishment of 11 new settlements and the formalization of 8 additional settlements seek to “address the security threats Israel is facing.”
”Israel acts in accordance with International Law,” the government emphasized, saying all the settlements are located in Area C and are situated on state land.
Jerusalem recalled the 1917 Balfour Declaration’s addition to the Mandate endorsed at the 1920 San Remo Conference, and insists the Jewish people’s rights extend over the territory of “Mandatory Palestine.”
“The rights were preserved in Article 80 of the Charter of the United Nations,” Israel argues, adding that the silence of foreign states on the Palestinian Authority’s “illegal construction in Area C” is astonishing.
On Wednesday, over a dozen nations condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, demanding a reversal of the ratification, in line with UNSC Resolution 2334.
The states averred that such unilateral actions, as part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank, “not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability.”
The joint declaration was signed by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom
Interestingly, 6 of the 14 states are members of the Group of Seven (G7), a powerful intergovernmental political and economic forum, which includes the United States.
They warned that Israel’s expansion plan risks undermining the Gaza Plan implementation amid efforts to progress to phase 2, and harming prospects for long-term peace and security across the region.
The countries reiterated their support for the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and lasting peace based on the Two-State solution (Israel and Palestine) in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.
The Israeli cabinet, on December 11, approved the new 19 settler outposts in the West Bank, which has been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967 and is home to more than 3 million Palestinians.
Israel defends West Bank settlement expansion as 14 nations oppose
