Welcome
Statement by Federal Foreign Office Spokesperson on Israeli settlement plans in the West Bank
A Federal Foreign Office Spokesperson issued the following statement today (5 October) on Israel’s plans to erect a further settlement near the Shilo settlement in the West Bank:
We have noted with great concern the recent announcements on plans to build a new settlement in the heart of the West Bank.
The German Government’s standpoint on this is unchanged. Settlement activities in the occupied territories violate international law. Settlements jeopardise the foundations of the two-state solution.
This was also the verdict of the report by the Middle East Quartet in July this year, whose recommendations we take very seriously.
Only if the declared commitment by all sides to a two-state solution is rapidly underpinned by concrete measures, and Israel changes its policy to facilitate Palestinian development, can trust be created and the possibility of a peace process be retained.
Background information:
On 28 September the Israeli planning committee for the West Bank decided to embark on the next planning steps for a new settlement near the existing Shilo settlement, situated in the heart of the West Bank. Plans for an initial 98 housing units (out of a total of 300) are now to be deposited for public view.
