Over dozen European countries condemn Israel's West Bank settlement plan
Photo: Benjamin Netanyahu (Getty Images)
On Wednesday, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and other European countries condemned Israel’s plans to build 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Reuters.
Several European states say Israel’s plans violate international law and could fuel further instability.
"We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements," said a joint statement released by Britain, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain.
The countries stressed that Israel’s plans breach international law and risk exacerbating instability.
"We recall that such unilateral actions, as part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank, not only violate international law but also risk fuelling instability," the statement said.
Later the same day, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the statement. Writing on X, he said the decision was aimed at countering security threats facing Israel.
"Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel, and any such call is morally wrong and discriminatory against Jews," he said.
What is West Bank
The West Bank is a Middle Eastern territory that has been at the center of a long-running territorial dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.
Most countries and the United Nations regard the West Bank as occupied Palestinian territory. Under international law, the establishment of Israeli settlements there is considered illegal.
"Settlements" refers to residential communities built by Israel for its citizens in the territory since 1967.
About 3 million Palestinians and more than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank. The territory is under varying degrees of control: parts are administered by the Palestinian Authority, while large areas remain under full Israeli military and civil control.
Related developments
Earlier this summer, media reported that Israel’s government was discussing the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank after several Western countries signaled plans to recognize Palestine as a state, a recognition that took place in September 2025.
In addition, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said construction had begun on a settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, a move he said would block the creation of a Palestinian state.
In October, Israel’s parliament preliminarily approved a bill to apply Israeli law to the occupied West Bank.
