Germany, UN Condemn New Israeli West Bank Settlement Plan as Illegal
Germany, UN Condemn New Israeli West Bank Settlement Plan as Illegal
The German government has issued a strong rebuke to Israel, urging it not to proceed with plans for thousands of new housing units in a West Bank settlement. Germany’s Foreign Ministry emphasized that the proposed construction violates international law and would severely hinder prospects for a two-state solution.
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry stated late on Thursday that the plan, put forth by an Israeli minister, threatens to divide the occupied West Bank, complicating any future efforts towards peace. The ministry reiterated its call for Israel to cease all settlement construction, asserting that Germany would only recognize border changes agreed upon by both parties to the conflict, referencing the June 4, 1967 lines.
Further condemning the move, the spokesperson highlighted that settlement construction is a breach of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, making a negotiated two-state solution and an end to the Israeli occupation, as demanded by the International Court of Justice, more difficult to achieve.
The controversial plan, announced by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday, involves the construction of 3,400 housing units in the E1 area, situated between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement. Smotrich explicitly stated that this development would ‘bury’ the possibility of an independent Palestinian state. The E1 area is particularly contentious as it connects the major West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem, and its development would effectively sever the Palestinian territory into northern and southern sections, making a contiguous future state unviable.
International condemnation quickly followed. The UN human rights office on Friday declared the settlement plan illegal under international law, warning that it puts nearby Palestinians at risk of forced eviction. A UN rights spokesperson cautioned that it would constitute a ‘war crime for an occupying power to transfer its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.’ The European Union’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, echoed these concerns, stating the plan ‘further undermines the two-state solution while being a breach of international law’ and urged Israel to desist. Israeli organization Peace Now, which monitors West Bank settlements, described the plan as ‘deadly’ for Israel’s future and for any chance of a peaceful two-state solution.
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