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EU calls on Israel to refrain from reinstating 4 settlements

March 22, 2023 at 9:28 am

Israeli forces intervene in Palestinians as Jewish settlers celebrate Sare Day in Hebron, West Bank on November 19, 2022 [Mamoun Wazwaz – Anadolu Agency]

A European Union spokesperson criticised the Israeli Knesset’s decision to repeal articles from the 2005 Disengagement Law, allowing illegal settlers to return to four illegal West Bank settlements that were evacuated in 2005.

Peter Stano said that the Israeli decision “is counter-productive to de-escalation efforts, and hampers the possibility to pursue confidence building measures and create a political horizon for dialogue.”

The statement described the Israeli Knesset’s decision as “a clear step back.”

It stressed that the European Union considers settlements to be “illegal under international law. They constitute a major obstacle to peace and threaten the viability of the two-state solution.”

In his statement, Stano urged Israel to revoke the decision and to take actions to de-escalate the already tense situation.

The Israeli Knesset yesterday voted to roll back the 2005 Disengagement Law which had stipulated the evacuation of four illegal northern West Bank settlements.

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