The European Union Monday reaffirmed that the Israeli settlement policy is illegal under international law, as well as other unilateral measures such as forced evictions and demolition and confiscation of Palestinian homes.
The Office of the European Union Representative in Palestine said in a statement that Israeli authorities must immediately stop such activities and provide the proper permits for the legal construction and development of Palestinian communities.
It said such practices would only escalate an already tense environment and lead to more violence and human suffering.
The EU reiterated its commitment to achieving a two-state solution, based on the criteria stipulated in the European Council’s conclusions of July 2014, stressing that the solution is the one that meets Palestinian aspirations to establish a sovereign state, ends the occupation that began in 1967 and resolves all final status issues toward ending the conflict.
The European Union strongly opposes all measures that undermine the two-state solution, the statement said, urging the demonstration of a genuine commitment to the two-state solution through policies and measures in order to rebuild trust and find a path back to meaningful negotiations.
On June 29, the Israeli occupation authorities demolished a Palestinian store in Al-Bustan quarter of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem, and recently served notices for the destruction of numerous buildings in the neighborhood, with about 20 homes facing imminent demolition and more than 1,000 in total threatened to be razed.
Source: Jordan News Agency