The Foreign Office has released a statement saying the UK is “deeply concerned” about the decision taken by the Israeli authorities this week to approve the construction of more than 4,900 settlement building units in the disputed West Bank territories.
The Israeli Defence Ministry planning committee approved plans for the homes during a two-day meeting held Wednesday and Thursday.
The latest approvals came less than a month after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed agreements to normalise relations with Israel - which in return pledged to freeze its plans to annex parts of the West Bank.
There is concern that the settlements are being approved now due to fears that if US President Donald Trump loses the forthcoming election his challenger Joe Biden will be less sympathetic towards construction development.
A statement issued jointly by the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain on Friday said: “We are deeply concerned by the decision taken by the Israeli authorities to advance more than 4,900 settlement building units in the occupied West Bank.
“The expansion of settlements violates international law and further imperils the viability of a two-state solution to bring about a just and lasting peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“It is also a counterproductive move in light of the positive developments of normalisation agreements reached between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
“As we have emphasised directly with the government of Israel, this step also undermines efforts to rebuild trust between the parties with a view to resuming dialogue.
“We therefore call for an immediate halt to settlement construction, as well as to evictions and to demolitions of Palestinian structures in East-Jerusalem and the West Bank.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that the approvals marked the end of a two-day meeting during which 5,288 plans were approved or advanced.
This included plans to enlarge by 962 homes some of the 15 enclaves that, under US President Donald Trump’s “Vision for Peace”, would be situated within a future Palestinian state.
The Quint statement on Israeli settlements added: “We call for the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2334 with all its provisions.
“We emphasise that we will not recognise any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regards to Jerusalem, unless agreed to between the parties. The suspension of plans to annex parts of Occupied Palestinian Territories must become permanent.
“We call on both sides to refrain from any unilateral action and resume a credible dialogue, as well as direct negotiations on all final-status issues.”
According to the Peace Now group, the Israeli government's plans "make 2020 the highest year on record in terms of units in settlement plans promoted since Peace Now began recording in 2012."
