25/03/24 (Agence Europe) – On Sunday 24 March, the spokesman for the European External Action Service stressed the EU’s firm condemnation of the announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that more than 800 hectares of land in the West Bank have been declared ‘state lands’. “This is the largest confiscation since the Oslo Accords”, he stressed in a press release, pointing out that the settlements were a serious violation of international humanitarian law. “The EU will not recognise changes to the 1967 borders unless agreed by the parties”, he warned. According to the spokesman, settlement expansion runs counter to Israel’s security objective, as it “fuels tensions and undermines prospects for a two-state solution, which remains the only sustainable guarantee for the long-term security of both Israelis and Palestinians”. (CG)