UK concerned by Israeli decision to expand illegal settlements

The UK is deeply concerned by an Israeli decision to expand settlements built on occupied Palestinian lands, calling on the Israeli government to refrain from taking such a step, a senior minister said yesterday.

“The UK is deeply concerned by reports that planning for 1,065 settlement units is being advanced, including possible retrospective approval of buildings without permits or on private Palestinian land” UK Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood said in a statement.

“The UK’s position on Israeli settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law and undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.”

“We call on the Israeli government to discard these plans and refrain from such steps. Every settlement announcement has a negative impact on prospects for peace and a negotiated solution,” the statement added.

Israeli newspapers revealed earlier that the Israeli Civil Administration has approved plans to construct 1,065 new housing units in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem.

According to the Palestinian Authority the settlements and their infrastructure consume nearly 40 per cent of the West Bank, while the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem has reached nearly half a million.

Palestinian officials say the settlements are the main obstacle that prevent reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement for a two-state solution.