Berlin: Germany on Monday condemned the Israeli cabinet’s approval of a plan to separate 13 Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank from neighboring settlements, which will ultimately be recognized as independent.
According to Jordan News Agency, the security cabinet previously endorsed a proposal by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to separate the neighborhoods and initiate the process of recognizing them as independent settlements. This move is part of a broader plan to annex certain parts of the West Bank to Israeli sovereignty.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Sebastian Fischer, expressed that Berlin rejects Israel’s settlement policies, considering them a violation of international law. He further stated that Israel’s operations in the Gaza Strip would not result in the release of Israeli captives and would lead to a worsening humanitarian situation.