By Blessing Chinagorom
The European Union Commission has condemned in the strongest terms the recent announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that five outposts are to be legalised in the occupied Palestinian territory.
This was disclosed in the statement released by the EU Spokesman on Sunday stating that such decision is another deliberate attempt at undermining peace efforts.
According to the statement, At this week’s European Council, EU leaders condemned the Israeli government’s decisions to further expand illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank and urged Israel to reverse these decisions.
In line with its longstanding common position and United Nations Security Council Resolutions, the Commission stated clearly that it will not recognise changes to the 1967 borders unless agreed by the parties.
The Commission stressed that actions weakening the Palestinian Authority must stop and called on Israel to release withheld clearance revenues and to take necessary measures to ensure that correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks remain in place.
“Also, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable State of Palestine living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition”, the statement concluded.
The Israeli Security Council approved a decision to expand settlements in occupied West Bank, legalize five settlements listed as illegal, and apply Israeli law to areas under the administrative control of the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule under 1990s interim peace deals in the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Palestinians and most of the international community regard Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal. Israel disputes this, citing Jewish people’s historical, biblical and political links to the area as well as security considerations.