France slams Israeli seizure of 1,976 acres of land in Occupied Palestinian Territory

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - France on Tuesday slammed Israel’s seizure of 800 hectares (1,976 acres) of land in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.

“This is the largest appropriation of land by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories since the Oslo Accords,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also condemned the ongoing violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and said: “The continuation of the colonization policy constitutes a serious violation of international law, in particular Resolution 2334 of the United Nations Security Council and the Fourth Geneva Convention. Some of these acts are also covered by the Rome Statute.”

The resolution was passed in December 2016 and stipulated that Israel stop all settlement activity in the Occupied Palestine Territory, including East Jerusalem.

French President Emmanuel Macron revealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday the measures that have been taken on a national and European basis against settlers who are guilty of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the ministry said.​​​​​​​