On Thursday 31 May, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) called on Israel to reconsider and overturn its latest decisions, saying that this had been "raised directly with the Israeli authorities".
The decisions involve the construction of nearly 2,000 housing units for settlers in the West Bank and the demolition of the Bedouin Khan Al-Ahmar community, which is the main land reserve of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state, the EEAS spokesperson said in the press release.
"These developments, alongside a number of other related actions taken in recent months, seriously undermine the viability of a negotiated two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace", the spokesperson stated. She added that "building new settlements for Israelis while demolishing Palestinian homes in the same area will only further entrench a one-state reality of unequal rights, perpetual occupation and conflict".
According to the NGO Peace Now, of the 1,958 housing units approved, nearly 700 have been approved definitively and will soon emerge from the ground. Around 80% of the new housing units will be built in areas making an exchange of territory impossible should there be an agreement on a two-state solution, RFI states.
Israel says that the 180-inhabitant Khan Al-Ahmar community, which is situated near several settlements in east Jerusalem, was built without permission. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)