Oct. 16 (UPI) — The Palestinian Authority told the United Nations Friday that new settlement plans in the West Bank by Israel could lead to an apartheid in a one-state region, and European countries called for a halt to the home construction.
In a letter to Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Observer for the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority said the settlement erodes future peace efforts.
“Such duplicity cannot be ignored as Israel persists with its violations and further undermines the two-state solution on the pre-1967 lines, paving way for an apartheid one-state reality, while it simultaneously disguises itself as a regional partner who believes in advancing peace and stability, attempting to promote its standing in the international community based on false credentials,” the letter said.
Israel’s Higher Planning Council for Judea and Samaria this week approved plans for constructing 5,288 homes, putting its annual total to 9,333.
“This is the direct result of lack of accountability for an occupation that has only expanded its territorial control by the day over the last 53 years,” the Palestinian Authority said. “Given its complete departure from the two-state solution, Israel’s calls for ‘peace’ should not be trusted.”
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain issued a joint statement Friday, expressing concern over the new settlements.
“The expansion of settlements violates international law and further imperils the viability of a two-state solution to bring about a just and lasting peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the statement said. “It is also a counterproductive move in light of the positive developments of normalization agreements reached between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.”
The countries also called for an end to the evictions and demolitions of Palestinian structures in East-Jerusalem and the West Bank.
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