RAMALLAH, Friday, May 07, 2021 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Presidency Thursday applauded the European Union’s statement urging Israel to call off plans to expand its colonial settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The Presidency said in a press statement that the EU’s statement, which affirmed that under international law, Israeli colonial settlements are illegal and settlements together with the forced evictions of Palestinians from Jerusalem threaten the prospects for a peaceful settlement to the ‘Palestinian-Israeli conflict’, falls in line with United Nations resolutions, especially the UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
It called upon the EU to continue to exert pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to halt its policies of colonial settlement and forceful evictions of Palestinians, similar to what is happening in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, in order to maintain security and stability and implement the UN resolutions.
In its statement, the EU reiterated its position that “all settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law and the EU will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including in Jerusalem, other than those agreed by both sides.”
While the international community has been vocal in its condemnation of Israeli colonial settlement activity, it has taken few steps to pressure Israel into ceasing the enterprise.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)