UN, EU Condemn Israeli Decision to Legalize West Bank Settlements

In a post on his official X account on Saturday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, expressed deep concern over the measure.

"Such actions, alongside other steps that undermine the Palestinian Authority and entrench settlement advancement in the West Bank, exacerbate tensions and diminish the viability of achieving a negotiated peace on the basis of a two-state solution. Settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions," Wennesland stated.

Separately, the European Union condemned the decision by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding the legalization of the five settlement outposts.

In a statement, EU spokesperson Peter Stano described the measure as a deliberate attempt to undermine peace efforts.

At this week’s European Council, Stano mentioned that EU leaders condemned the Israeli cabinet’s decisions to expand illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank and urged Israel to reverse these decisions immediately.

Stano reiterated the EU's longstanding position and UN Security Council resolutions, stating that the EU will not recognize changes to the 1967 borders unless agreed by the involved parties.

"The European Union reiterated that actions weakening the Palestinian Authority must stop and calls on Israel to release withheld clearance revenues and to take necessary measures to ensure that correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks remain in place," Stano added.

He reaffirmed the EU's commitment to lasting and sustainable peace in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, emphasizing the two-state solution as the basis for resolving the conflict.

Germany also condemned Israel's decision to legalize five settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, highlighting that the move violates international law.

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer criticized Israel's policy of settlement expansion in Palestinian territories as a serious breach of international law, stressing that such actions endanger peace and security for all in the region.

"We urge the Israeli administration to immediately reverse its decisions," Fischer stated.

Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia joined in condemning the legalization of Israeli settlement outposts and the approval of new housing units in the West Bank.

On Thursday evening, Smotrich announced that the Security Cabinet authorized one outpost for every country that recognized Palestine as a state in the last month.

Last month, Spain, Ireland, and Norway formally recognized the Palestinian state, joining over 140 UN member states that have recognized its statehood over the past four decades. Slovenia and Malta have also indicated plans to recognize the state of Palestine.

The five settlement outposts are Evyatar, Givat Assaf, Sde Efraim, Heletz, and Adorayim.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The international community views these settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions due to their construction on occupied territories.

Palestinians seek the West Bank as part of a future independent state with East al-Quds as its capital.