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The European Union on Friday said that Israel’s plans for building new settlement houses in East Jerusalem posed a threat to peace in the region and Israel’s relations with the EU, joining the US in its criticism of Israel’s decision – Germany, France and the US have all called Israel out on the planned settlement blocs.
“This represents a further highly detrimental step that undermines prospects for a two-state solution and calls into question Israel’s commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. We stress that the future development of relations between the EU and Israel will depend on the latter’s engagement towards a lasting peace based on a two-state solution”, the European Union’s External Action Service (EEAS) said, referring to a potential democratic and independent Palestine state
According to France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, the decision to build 2,610 settlement houses in Givat Hamatos will be the first new settlement project in East Jerusalem for 15 years.
The EEAS, however, did not say if any action will be taken following the criticism. Israel is currently $ 17.6 million in funding from the EU over the next seven years; concurrently, the EU is Israel’s largest trading partner.
The Palestinians want a state that encompasses the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and want East Jerusalem to be their capital city. Israel had withdrawn from the Gaza Strip in 2005, but continued expanding its settlements in East Jerusalem and West Bank.
The last round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Palestine had floundered in April, with the Israelis objecting to the unity deal between the Hamas and Fatah, and the Palestinians objecting to the endless growth of Israeli settlements. On Wednesday, the US State Department had said that any new settlement plans made my Israel would call into question its commitment for permanent peace with the Palestinians.