The EU on Friday reiterated its call for Israel to halt its plans to expand settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, warning that any new changes to the pre-1967 borders that are not agreed upon by the parties will be rejected by the bloc, according to a statement from the office of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“Settlements are illegal under international law and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between the parties,” the statement read.

While the European Union’s stance is firm in recognizing the illegality of Israeli Settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem under international law, money flows exchangeably with companies serving illegal settlements through direct trade and financial relations. pic.twitter.com/iht9SGj8sq

— MetrasGlobal (@Metras_global) October 19, 2021

Underlining that the EU strongly rejects the expansion of settlements, the statement said that the EU will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including those pertaining to Jerusalem, that are not agreed upon by the parties.

The statement also urged the Israeli government to revoke the recent approval of new illegal settlement units in the occupied West Bank, which are totally incompatible with ongoing efforts to reduce tensions, and instead focus on furthering meaningful re-engagement between the conflicting parties.

#Russia ‘Disappointed’ by #Israel’s Plan to Build New #Settlement Units in #WestBank https://t.co/MU0OW2OjT5 via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/RttggRNnCp

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 29, 2021

“The EU will continue to play its part supporting steps towards sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” it added.

There were 13 illegal Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and 253 others in the West Bank. More than 660,000 Jewish settlers live in these settlements. Under international law, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is regarded as “occupied territory,” making all Jewish settlements there illegal.

(MEMO, PC, Social Media)