Brussels: The European Union reiterated that Israeli settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory was illegal under international law and eroded prospects for lasting peace.
According to Reuters, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in a statement said: “The EU calls on Israel to end all settlement activity, in line with its obligations as an occupying power.”
Mogherini released a statement asserting that the EU position on the illegality of Israeli settlements in the 1967 territories remained “clear and unchanged” affirming that “all settlement activity is illegal under international law”.
Her comments followed the United States backing of Israel’s right to build Jewish settlements on the occupied West Bank.
The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, had announced a reversal in decades of US policy towards Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank, stating that: “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law.”