Capitals (Union, Agencies)
The European Council strongly condemned the ongoing settler violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, calling for further sanctions against them.
The council stated in a statement, “The special status and character of Jerusalem, its Old City, and the sanctity of its holy places must be preserved.”
The Council, which represents the 27 leaders of the European Union, also condemned the Israeli military’s decisions to continue expanding illegal settlements throughout the West Bank, calling for these decisions to be reversed.
He expressed concern over the growing tensions in the region and the increasing destruction and forced displacement of civilians along the Blue Line, calling for restraint, preventing further escalation and participating in international diplomatic efforts.
In addition, yesterday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “Israeli Cabinet”’s approval of the legalization of 5 settlement outposts in the West Bank and the advancement of plans to build thousands of new settlement units throughout the West Bank.
The ministry said, in a statement, that it “views with extreme seriousness the Israeli government’s continued perpetration of the crime of settlement expansion with the aim of closing the door to any opportunity to materialize a Palestinian state,” and held it fully and directly responsible for its consequences and its dangerous repercussions on the conflict arena and the entire region.
She stressed that “the settlement escalation taking place in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is a blatant challenge to the relevant international legitimacy resolutions, especially Resolution 2334, and an official disregard by Israel for the international consensus rejecting colonialism as an obstacle to implementing the two-state solution.”
The Foreign Ministry called for “urgent international intervention to stop the illegal unilateral measures, impose deterrent international sanctions on the occupation system, and exert real pressure to stop settlements and submit to the international will for peace.”
In a related context, Canada announced the imposition of a new package of sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers due to their involvement in committing acts of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, calling on Israel to intervene to stop these crimes.
The Canadian government said in a statement that the sanctions target 7 individuals and 5 entities for their role in facilitating, supporting, or financially contributing to this violence.
Britain, France, the European Union, and the United States have previously imposed similar measures in recent months.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly expressed her deep concern over this violence, condemning these acts and calling on the Israeli authorities to ensure the protection of civilians and hold those responsible for these practices accountable.
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