EU Decries Israel Plans for East al-Quds Settlement Construction
EU foreign policy spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic, made the remarks in a statement on Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered plans for the construction of 1,060 new settler units in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Kocijancic said if such a decision is confirmed "it will call once again into serious question Israel's commitment to a negotiated solution with the Palestinians.”
She went on to say that the only thing the EU could do was to condemn such an “ill-judged and ill-timed” decision.
The EU official noted that the “future development of relations between the EU and Israel” would depend on the Israeli regime’s “engagement towards a lasting peace” based on the so-called two-state solution.
Kocijancic’s remarks came amid widespread global condemnation of Israel’s land grab policies, which have been among the major reasons behind the failure of US-led talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The UN and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in the 1967 war and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbids construction on the occupied lands.
Israel Plans to Build Palestinian-Only City
Israel is planning to build a Palestinian-only city in the northernmost part of Israel in a bid to decrease the number of Palestinians living in mostly Jewish-populated areas.
According to Israeli media outlets, the city is to be built near the coastal city of Acre (Akka) at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay, next to the Jdeideh Makr Arab community.
It is still unclear when the city is to be built and its municipal status is still unclear.
Many of Palestinians have condemned construction of the planned city, which is designed to accommodate a population of 40,000.
They say establishing a city for a specific population group is unethical and that all ethnic groups should be permitted to live there.
According to reports, Israel’s Housing and Construction Ministry has been engaged in designing the city for the past four years, after the decision to construct it was made in a 2008 cabinet meeting.
Source: Press TV
