G7 foreign ministers condemn Israeli settlement expansion in West Bank

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Thursday strongly condemned the recent actions by the Israeli government regarding settlement expansion in the West Bank.

In a joint statement, the G7 ministers and the EU representative criticized Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's announcement to legalize five outposts in the West Bank.

Additionally, they denounced the Israeli government's decision to declare over 1,270 hectares of West Bank land as 'state lands' — the largest such declaration since the Oslo Accords — and to expand existing settlements by adding 5,295 new housing units while establishing three new settlements.

"The Government of Israel’s settlement program is inconsistent with international law and counterproductive to the cause of peace," the statement declared.

The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace in the region, grounded in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the principle of a two-state solution.

They have consistently opposed the expansion of settlements and urged the Israeli government to reverse these decisions.

The statement also emphasized the importance of maintaining economic stability in the West Bank for regional security.

The G7 ministers and the EU representative acknowledged the recent transfers of portions of clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority but urged Israel to release all withheld clearance revenues in line with the Paris Protocols.

They called on Israel to remove or ease measures that exacerbate the economic situation in the West Bank and to ensure the continuation of correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks with appropriate controls.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Over 38,300 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 88,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.