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Israel unilaterally approved the construction of more than 3,000 new houses in Jewish colonies located in the occupied part of the West Bank. The announcement comes despite the refusal of the United States, the UN and the European Union, which urged the government of Naftali Bennett to stop construction in this area.
The construction of new houses in Jewish settlements located in occupied territories in the West Bank has provoked the rejection and condemnation of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the international community.
A total of 3,130 houses in Jewish colonies will be built, in addition to another 780 approved in January this year. The buildings, with the green light of the High Planning Council of COGAT (Israeli coordination office for activities in the Palestinian territories), will be located in 30 different settlements in West Bank territory and far from Israeli territory.
For the president of the ANP, Mahmoud Abbas, this is a measure that “pushes things towards a state of instability and tension”, adding that this type of unilateral decision “destroys what remains of the two-state solution.”
For his part, the UN special envoy for the Middle East peace process, Tor Wennesland, assured that “all settlements are illegal under international law, and they remain a substantial obstacle to peace and must cease immediately.” .
The United States also spoke out on the matter. The government said it was “deeply concerned” by Israel’s plans and opposed building more houses in the occupied West Bank.
“We strongly oppose settlement expansion, which is completely incompatible with efforts to reduce tensions and restore calm and damages the prospects for a two-state solution,” said Ned Price, spokesman for the US State Department. .
On the European side, the President of the European Council (EC) Charles Michel, conveyed to the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, the commitment of the European Union (EU) to the two-state solution to resolve the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
“We focus on European support for Palestinian state-building efforts and the regional context. I reaffirm the EU’s commitment to the two-state solution,” Michel said through his Twitter account.
But requests from the United States, the UN and the EU in recent days did not stop Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz from issuing building permits or Housing Minister Zeev Elkin from announcing the new tender.
A historic conflict between Israelis and Palestinians
After the Six Day War in 1967, Israel began to occupy Palestinian territories, which was considered illegal by the UN and international law.
The Israelis have questioned this stance, and in the meantime, more than 440,000 settlers have occupied parts of the West Bank, with arguments ranging from biblical citations to historical and political reasons with the area, where three million Palestinians live.
Since 1967, all Israeli governments have continued to colonize Palestinian territories. Both sides have tried to negotiate in different peace talks, but these collapsed in 2014, which has not stopped the Palestinian National Authority’s attempts to create a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has faced criticism for his most recent settlement decisions, yet they have been welcomed by his ultra-nationalist constituencies, who share his opposition to the Palestinian state.
With EFE, Reuters and AP
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