JERUSALEM听–听Foreign ministers of four听贰耻谤辞辫别补苍听countries and听颁补苍补诲补听joined Washington on Tuesday in opposing a decision by听滨蝉谤补别濒颈听Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah耻’蝉听government to authorize nine Jewish settler outposts in the occupied West Bank.
The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States issued a joint statement voicing concern over the plans announced by Israel on Sunday.
“We strongly听辞辫辫辞蝉别听unilateral actions which will only serve to exacerbate tensions between听滨蝉谤补别濒颈s and Palestinians and undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution,” they said.
Later, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Ottawa also strongly听辞辫辫辞蝉别d the expansion of听蝉别迟迟濒别尘别苍迟s and added that “such unilateral actions jeopardize efforts to achieve comprehensive, just and lasting peace.”
On Sunday, Israel granted retroactive authorization to nine settler outposts in the West Bank and announced mass construction of new homes in established听蝉别迟迟濒别尘别苍迟s, prompting听鲍.厂.听Secretary of State Antony Blinken to say he was “deeply troubled.”
Israel’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment but Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, from the hardline religious nationalist bloc in Netanyah耻’蝉听government, said he wanted to go further.
“This is our mission. This is our doctrine,” Ben-Gvir said. “Nine听蝉别迟迟濒别尘别苍迟s is nice but it’s still not enough. We want much more,” he said in a video message.
Most world听辫辞飞别谤蝉听view as illegal the听蝉别迟迟濒别尘别苍迟s Israel has built on land it captured in a 1967 war with Arab听辫辞飞别谤蝉.
Israel disputes that and cites biblical, historical and political links to the West Bank, as well as security interests.
Since the 1967 war, it has established 132听蝉别迟迟濒别尘别苍迟s on land Palestinians see as the core of a future state, according to the Peace Now watchdog group
Besides the authorized听蝉别迟迟濒别尘别苍迟s, gro耻辫蝉听of settlers have built scores of outposts without government permission. Some have been razed by police, others authorized retroactively. The nine granted approval on Sunday are the first for this Netanyahu government.
Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, welcomed the joint statement but added: “We demand that words be turned to deeds.”
With tensions in the West Bank already high, the move has alarmed world听辫辞飞别谤蝉听which fear an even greater escalation of violence.听滨蝉谤补别濒颈听forces have conducted near daily raids in the West Bank, pursuing a crackdown begun last year in the wake of a spate of deadly Palestinian attacks.
This year more than 40 Palestinians, including both militant fighters and civilians, have been killed by听滨蝉谤补别濒颈听forces. At the same time, 10 people have been killed in Israel in two attacks by Palestinians. – Reuters
