Criticism grows against Israel's settlement expansion

 

TT

 

Published 19.11

 

A car set on fire at a Palestinian village attacked by Israeli settlers near Nablus in the West Bank. Archive photo. Photo: Leo Correa /AP/TT

Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy have agreed on a statement calling on the Israeli government to end the expansion of new settlements.

In the joint statement, published by the Italian presidential office, the leaders of the four countries say that the building permits for some new settlements are "unacceptable".

The new settlement project, called E1 in Israel, "undermines attempts to reach a two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and damages the territorial integrity of Palestinian territories", the leaders write.

The statement criticizes in strong terms the violence that settlers are subjecting Palestinian residents to.