02/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - EU calls on Israel to reverse its decision on new settlements. On Friday 30 January, the European Union called on Israel to reverse its decision to publish calls for tender for the extension of settlements that already exist in four points of the West Bank. Israel must put “an end to settlement expansion”, said a spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. The expansion would involve 450 new settlements. The “announcements of settlement tenders, if implemented, will further undermine the viability of the two-state solution. They are illegal in international law and constitute an obstacle to peace”, said Mogherini's spokesperson, adding that the decision risked inflaming “the very tense situation on the ground”. “All sides need to exercise maximum restraint and avoid taking any decision that could exacerbate tensions”, Mogherini's spokesperson concluded. (CG)