Israel’s decision for new settlements on Palestinian land denounced
Statement by the President of the Delegation of the European Parliament for Relations with Palestine N. Sylikiotis
7th April 2017
“The Israeli government, ignoring the provisions of International Law, has proclaimed that it will proceed to the construction of new settlements announcing a competition, while at the same time declaring as “state territories” the land of the West Bank. We unequivocally condemn the decision of Israel, which for the first time after 20 years has decided to proceed to new settlements in the West Bank. The policy of settlements is illegal under International Law and constitutes another obstacle to the two-state solution. The EU and its Member States must act resolutely and collectively to protect the two-state solution as the only solution for the prevalence of peace in the region.” This is what N. Sylikiotis stressed in his statement as President of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Palestine.
In the Delegation’s statement N. Sylikiotis issued a warning that the Israeli Government’s new decisions on the settlements, as several analysts have confirmed, may enable the expansion of the existing settlements, but also the establishment of new settlements in the occupied territories without any restrictions. He therefore stressed that the EU must closely monitor developments and take all the necessary steps not to allow the creation of new settlements, but neither the expansion of existing ones as well.
The AKEL MEP also stressed that the international community is against the settlements since they are illegal according to International Law. He made particular reference to Resolution 2334 of the UN Security Council, which, as he pointed out, explicitly states that the establishment of settlements by Israel constitutes yet another flagrant violation of International Law which is a key obstacle to the international community’s vision of a two-state solution and the prevalence of peace. N. Sylikiotis consequently urged the EU to comply with Resolution 2334 of the UN Security Council calling on States to make a clear separation between the State of Israel and the territory of the areas that are occupied since 1967.
