14 countries including UK, Canada condemn Israel's new settlements in West Bank
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Fourteen countries, among them Britain, Canada and Germany, have criticised Israel’s security cabinet for approving 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, arguing that the move breaches international law and could worsen regional instability.
In a joint statement, the countries said the decision to authorise additional settlements amounted to a unilateral step that violated international legal norms and risked inflaming tensions. They warned that the expansion could undermine ongoing efforts linked to Gaza and damage prospects for lasting peace and security in the region.
Israel cleared the proposal last Sunday, a move that, according to far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, raises the number of newly approved settlements in recent months to 69, the Guardian reported.
The statement, issued by Britain along with Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain, urged Israel to reverse both the latest approvals and the broader expansion of settlement activity.
The countries reiterated their opposition to any form of annexation, including projects such as the E1 settlement and the approval of thousands of new housing units, and said Israel’s actions ran counter to UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
They cautioned that the intensification of settlement policies in the West Bank could jeopardise the implementation of wider plans related to Gaza and hinder progress towards a durable peace.
Israel’s latest plan also includes two settlements that had been dismantled during the 2005 disengagement process.
According to Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, the security cabinet’s decision has increased the number of settlements in the West Bank by nearly half under the current government. The group noted that the total has risen from 141 in 2022 to 210 following the most recent approvals.
The countries reiterated their support for the Palestinian right to self-determination and reaffirmed their commitment to a negotiated two-state solution, saying they continued to see it as the only viable path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in which Israel and Palestine exist side by side within recognised and secure borders.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, dismissed the criticism, stating that the decision was intended to address the security challenges facing the country.