UK condemns Israel’s approval of illegal West Bank settlements

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Britain on Monday condemned Israel's decision to create 13 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

"Settlements harm security for both Palestinians and Israelis and violate international law," Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, wrote on X.

"The Israeli government must crack down on settler violence, stop settlement expansion and reject annexation of the West Bank," he added.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Sunday that the Security Cabinet had approved a plan to separate and legalize 13 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, calling it “another important step on the path to actual sovereignty” in Judea and Samaria.

According to Palestinian reports, approximately 770,000 illegal Israeli settlers were living in 180 settlements and 256 outposts across the occupied territory by the end of 2024.

The UN considers all Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories illegal under international law and cautions that their continued expansion jeopardizes efforts toward a two-state solution.

Tensions remain high across the occupied West Bank, where attacks by the Israeli army and settlers have resulted in at least 937 Palestinian deaths and over 7,000 injuries since the Israeli offensive on Gaza began after the Palestinian group Hamas infiltrated into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In July, the International Court of Justice ruled Israel's longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.