BRUSSELS, Saturday, February 25, 2023 (WAFA) – The European Union yesterday condemned approval by the Israeli occupation authorities of plans for advancing more than 7,000 housing units in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, according to a statement by Nabila Massrali, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

“This exceeds the total number advanced during all of 2022, which was a record year in terms of illegal settlement expansion,” said Massrali, adding, “The EU reiterates its position that settlements are illegal under international law.”

The EU also renewed its call on the Israeli occupation authorities “to halt settlement construction and to reverse these latest decisions as a matter of urgency.”

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said yesterday that the Higher Council for Planning and Building in the Settlements advanced on Wednesday the construction of 3,000 housing units, and followed it with an additional 4,000 units advanced the next day, including units that were already built but just got approval, to put the total number of units approved for the settlements in the West Bank in the past two days at 7,287, compared to 4,427 units that were approved in 2022.

M.K.